From our trip in July, being a missionary in one place for 9 days it was more learning the reality of the people and less about what we thought it would be like. The website before now talks of orphans and building orphanages. Now it talks about the fatherless. Who are the fatherless? What’s the difference?
The Lord uses the term “Fatherless” in the Bible far more than “orphan”. He also refers to his disciples as the “little ones”. It is best to let the Lord retrain us, than to try to hold onto wrong concepts. There were many women in Tamana with children and all fatherless. The women never had a family with a father. The children never had a father who was like a father. I understand more what the Lord means by ” fatherless” and “our father in heaven”.
The first home in Tamana would not be an orphanage to house a few lucky children, provide their earthly needs and turn away the rest. It would be more a church that never closes, equipping the fatherless to be Jesus where they live now. Yes we can give gifts of toys, clothes, shoes, food, but we cannot remove generations of poverty and ignorance with Christian Charity. Obeying the Lord in exactly how He wants this done will yield much wiser results. Great ideas of men are useless.
The house and land we want to buy are just the church that never closes. It is not meant to contain all the saints in the area. It is to equip and empower them to go into the community. I can see far greater numbers living where they do now and affecting everyone around them as Jesus did. We do not need a building for several thousand on Sunday. We need a stronghold to keep them alive in Christ to make a difference where they live now. Affecting many all the time and a church stronger than a building big enough for all on Sunday morning. A church as big as the village and growing past that. The church is the people in the village and they already have houses. We only need to house to keep them going.
The cycle of fatherless starts with generations of teen pregnancies with no intent of any family structure and repeating the cycle until it is considered normal for all. We met one father who brought his little girl to learn about Jesus. The ministry would like to encourage that man and more like him to eliminate the fatherless all together. To be a father. It is hard to call a ministry, helping men to be fathers, an orphanage, but we know that is what God wants.
It is hard to simply say what the ministry is doing, but what it is doing is right. No acceptance of men is needed. We do not depend on donations or committee or denominational approval or even understanding. We just do it. It depends on obedience. Obedience starts with a certainty as to what to obey. God gives new specific details each day. I am not concerned about being embarrassed or explaining that once we called them orphanages. Now they are strongholds of Christ and the fatherless are the warriors. I still know the children are the ones to invest in. The adults have had their chance. Although it is not too late for adults, most adults will judge God’s wisdom and find reasons to not do anything. Children will understand and become powerful with the power of Christ, having little faith in their own power in this world. It is so simple.
It is easier to do than to explain.
Lee 8-12-12
