One at a Time

   UNICEF's official 2008 estimate (based on 2007 data) of the number of orphans in the world is 145 million. For this number, they defined an orphan as a child who has lost one or both parents. (http://abbafund.wordpress.com/) 

145,000,000 orphans!

   God has a special place for orphans.  He promises to be the father to the fatherless.  Peruse the scriptures and you will find that He indeed has a heart for orphans and widows.  H. & I have been called to this adoption journey.  Sometimes, it feels like it's not enough.  We can look around the globe and find the need is everywhere.  It can feel hopeless, like another grain of sand in the ocean.  However, let me share a story with you. You may have heard it ~

The Starfish Story

   There was once a wise old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. One day as he walked along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man, and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead was reaching down to the shore, picking up starfish, and very gently throwing them into the ocean.

   “Good morning! What are you doing?” asked the wise man. The young man paused, looked up, and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The sun is rising, and the tide is out. And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
   “But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles of beach and thousands of starfish all along it? You can’t possibly make a difference!” The young man, listening politely, bent down and picked up another starfish, throwing it into the sea past the breaking waves. Turning to the old man, he modestly replied,

“It made a difference for that one.”

 
 
What kind of difference can you make?  Go to http://www.cryoftheorphan.org/display.asp?Page=Home.