Remember What's Really Important This Time of Year....

James 1:27 
"Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after Orphans and Widows and their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world"

John and I were just reminiscing about our trip to Egypt in 2008, wondering how the kids are doing, wishing we could be there, and hoping to make it back there soon.  With that spirit, I wanted to post a bit of the email updates we wrote during our time there.  As you read, I want you to remember with us what is truly important this year.  And then...do something.  Do something that will make a difference for someone this holiday season. 

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Today we visited an orphanage for Handicapped Children and it was Amazing. It was difficult, but most of all rewarding. There are 13 children there in two small apartments next to each other. Most of the kids lay lifeless on the beds, they all are in diapers and most of them cannot speak other than noises. It was amazing to see how they came to life in response to your touch and words.

One boy in particular was such a joy to interact with. His name is Abinoub, he is 9 years old and was born mute, deaf, and blind. He lay motionless on the bed and when I went to hold his hand he jumped into my arms. I just held him for a while and talked to him, even though he couldn't hear. He loved to be held like a baby and rocked back and forth. When we held him like that the biggest smile you could imagine would be on his face and you could feel his joy, I knew that he was aware and felt the love we had for him. The minute I put him down in his crib, he would jump up feeling around for me and once he got a hold of me he wouldn't let go. He was longing to be held, to interact with somone.

So many of the kids responded just to being held and touched. I wish we could have spent all day there just holding the kids and telling them how much we loved them. It was also difficult to interact with them becasue many of them would drool on you, try to eat your clothes, and we could clearly smell the urine on the beds we sat on. But it was even more difficult to look into their eyes and not love them, not touch them, not reach out them.

Yesterday in the main orphanage we go to Deb was counseling on the of girls and she asked me to come into their room in the middle of the session. The girl had asked that I would come in because she wanted to share something with me. When I went into the room Deb asked the girl if she could share her story. She wanted her to. Deb went on to tell me how this girl had just shared her story.

*It's Deb cutting in real quick* She had been suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts due to a long history of abuse by her biological father. He had physically abused both her and her mother for many years. Her view of what a father was had been completely tainted by past. She had a scar on her upper arm from where her dad had slit her with a knife. The amazing thing about this story is, just being able to talk to her about the love of God our father, how a real father is supposed to be. Without going into tedious detail, she gave her life to the Lord this day, and it was so amazing being able to be a part of this. She told me that we had already impacted her life so much.

She went on to say that when she first met John, she was blown away with his compassion and gentleness with all the kids...how well he treated them. She said that she immediately wanted to call him "Baba" which means Daddy in Arabic, but she was too shy to do so.

After that, she asked if we could ask him to come in the room and share with him these things. I called John into the room and proceeded to tell her story. Before I knew it, I was just sobbing. We were all sobbing. I held her in my arms as she wiped away MY tears...but more than anything, at that moment, she knew she was loved SO much, by John, by me....and most of all, by the Greatest Lover of all....Christ.

John's Back :)...I never experienced before the feeling of someone looking up to me as their father. As I listened to Deb tell me this girls story it broke my heart and it was difficult to hold back the tears. I can't imagine what it is like to have such an abusive father. As my heart was broken I also realized the power of Christ's love, the healing it can bring, and the Amazing God we serve. So often we think that we aren't doing enough, I had only played with this girl a few games, said hello, talked with her a little bit, but it had such a profound effect on her. How many more people could have their lives changed by God's love and grace if we would only take the time???

We have so much more to share and are trusting God to do even more in the coming week and a half we are here. We will be going to the Red Sea this weekend and will send another update early next week. Continue to keep us in your prayers and even more the kids at the Orphanage.
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Happy Holidays Everyone.

Love,
John and Deb

For more information on Christian Orphan Outreach or on how to Sponsor a Child for the Holidays visit our updated website!