Is there anything more comforting than the warm embrace of a father? Without words, a father’s arms can convey safety, strength, and a sense that no matter what troubles or dangers lurk in the darkness, everything will be okay.
Yet there are those of us who have been robbed of this comfort. Many of our stories are filled with abandonment by disconnected fathers. Worse, some of us carry deep scars from physical abuse where only warm inviting hands should have existed.
Pioneering With Passion (PPM) teams encounter many children who have grown up without the comfort of a father. As we venture deep into war-torn areas of Southeast Asia, we discovered thousands of orphans struggling to survive after their parents have been killed. Most come from remote jungle villages located in areas of constant civil war. These innocent kids find themselves caught in the crossfire as military forces battle for control of the regions.
A child losing their father to the horrors of war is terrible enough, but the violence does not end there. Military men attacking the villages proceed to abuse the children they have made orphans. Kids strong enough are kidnapped as slaves. They are forced to carry supplies on long marches or walk in front of troops as land-mine sweepers.
This terrible abuse can leave the children we meet on our missions fearful of older men. Many no longer remember what it’s like to have a father who loves and protects them.
And yet even in these broken stories, God is showing up to bring redemption. Ekale’s testimony (a young refugee our team visited) is proof the Lord is still telling His great rescue story though us.
I have seen the enemy fighters when I was little. They took us away to be porters and carry their supplies as they traveled. The last time they came to my village I had to run away into the jungle because I was so scared that they would take me away again. We spent almost two weeks hiding because they would not leave the village.
I want to thank the team for coming and praise God for that. You are the first white people I have seen that came to my people and want to help us. In the past we couldn’t find anyone to help us and be our friends, so thank you so much. Please don’t forget about us and come see us again.
-Ekale
Though our earthly fathers may fail us, there is a redeemer who has gone to great lengths to purchase our lives and bring us into His loving care.
A redeemer is one who claims something or someone by paying the debt or ransom set against it. This picture is beautifully painted in an Old Testament story about a young woman named Ruth. After losing her husband, Ruth found herself an alien in a foreign land. Her only hope for the future came from a man named Boaz who saw her plight and offered to pay the necessary price so she might come under his love and care.
I’m realizing that the orphans we find in our jungle missions face a similar fate. They have fled their home villages and now must survive in a foreign land without family. Just as Boaz was offered the chance to redeem Ruth in the Bible story, the Heavenly Father is offering us the chance to redeem each of the little ones we meet so they might have a hope and a future.
To be honest, I’d love to adopt each and every precious child we encounter. But regulations in the Asian countries where our missions take place make this impossible. Many of you who desire to adopt children who have been neglected or abused may be experiencing the same frustrations as you wait for the endless red tape of foreign countries. But that doesn’t mean we give up.
So what can we do?
I think it’s important that we take every advantage of the “In-the-mean-time”. These are the seasons of waiting. While we wait for wars to end, for adoption red tape to clear, and for new doors of hope to open, we can still show the young lives we encounter what it’s like to be loved by a true father. We can be the hands and feet of Jesus, comforting all the bruises and scars the enemy would love to make permanent.
PPM is committed to this mission through our relief aid trips. We have “adopted” multiple off-the-grid refugee camps filled with orphaned children in need of love. We have been able to restore hope by bringing food, living supplies, and discipleship in Jesus.
But we can’t do it without supporters like you. Your gifts purchase the children’s resources and the transportation necessary for our teams to reach their remote locations.
So what do you say? Would you like to become a redeemer? Together, we can show thousands of precious boys and girls they are worth the price of their redemption.