Orphan Sunday

Recently I was given the privilege of working with a great group of women who share God's heart for the orphan.  On Orphan Sunday, we were granted the opportunity to share the plight of the orphan with our church family.      
The foyer held tables displaying photos of local foster kids, adoption and foster care opportunities, prayer bookmarks listing the names of adoptive and foster families in our church, products that can be purchased whose proceeds benefit orphans, and many other ways to become involved in orphan and foster care.  
A prayer fence decorated one area with photos of children from several countries around the world.  People could take home an orphan's photo and pray for that particular orphan to be cared for, to hear about God's love for them, and to be adopted by a family that will love and care for them.  Another area of the foyer held a replica of what an orphan's home might look like in some areas around the world.
The Orphan Sunday presentation included slides of adoptive families in our church, a video, testimonies, and a special song.   After the service,  for church lunch "The Orphan's Table" was served, and a viewing of the Orphan Sunday Zambia film followed.

When I first told the girls about the Orphan Sunday service, Maimie wanted to know what an orphan was.  Once I explained it to her, she said, "So...I used to be an orphan.  And Saidie did too."  I told her that in fact they had been orphans, but that they aren't anymore.  We talked about how God adopts us into His family, too.  Maimie was very excited about the Orphan Sunday service and told me she really wanted to talk to everyone at the church.  At first I discouraged her, but eventually Maimie did become a part of the plan.  Maimie set about thinking about what she should tell everyone.  She and I both prayed about it, and then she told me what she wanted to say while I typed it out for her to read.  Maimie joyfully shared her heart and her story.

(Maimie's part starts with the counter around 3:40)