Sweet Little Andrew---My WHY.

Hey All! So I wanted to share with everyone my “WHY” about Africa and WHY I am going to visit these children and people in need.  Most of my family and friends are 100% supportive and understand this.  But there have been a few people that look at me sort of weird when I tell them that I am giving up my own time…spending my own money…to GO to Africa!  They get confused and don’t understand it?  I’ve had people say things like, “Well, you can’t save them all!  ….What are YOU going to do by just going there? ….There are children here in the U.S. that need your help too.—what about them?” This sometimes starts to upset me, but I still try to have patience with them and explain to them that by just me going I WILL be able to help them…right now, I’m not sure how and when this will happen on my trip.  BUT—God knows and He has had this planned out for a very, very LONG time now!  He has hand-picked Shelby and I and the rest of our team to go on this trip and I believe with ALL of my heart He has big meaning behind this trip.  GREAT things are going to happen!  I also explain to people how I have ALWAYS had a passion for loving and serving children—especially those who are in need!  I understand that there are children here in the U.S. that need help…and I promise you, I try to do as much as I can for these children that God puts into my life and that I cross paths with.  Sometimes it may just be a prayer—but I DO try to help in whatever way that I can.  But I also explain to people how I truly feel like God has CALLED me to Africa.  As most of you know, I have always pictured myself helping children in Africa. I don’t know WHY it’s Africa—but that’s what has always been on my heart. So I tell people that God calls us all to a certain place and to certain situations and that we are all unique in HIS WAYS.  If we ALL were called to help the children in one place there would be so many kids left out who need our help.  This is WHY we are ALL called to reach out and help children and people in all different parts of the world.  All I know is that God has put a desire and passion in my heart to GO and SERVE and LOVE on the children in Africa—So I am listening.

Now, I know this blog story is probably going to get a little long, but I really hope that you take some time out of your busy day to sit down and read it.  My “WHY” story that I want to share with you is below and I think this is SUCH an important story! As I shared in my first blog story about HOW God led me to Visiting Orphans…there was still some uncertainty that I had.  I was nervous about the money…I was a little nervous about going to Africa right away…would we be safe? Would we be protected? And I was still so unsure about so many little details.  Then, one night I read this story and I took from it that this was Gods way of saying “GO and SERVE and LOVE on my children!”  I had prayed and prayed about this trip…could I go? Could I come up with the money? Could I make a difference?  Then it was like God directly placed this story right in front of me and said “YES! …Yes you NEED to go! YES I WILL give you the money…YES you WILL make a difference!”  This story is a blog that the Executive Director from Visiting Orphans shared after going on one of their trips to Africa this past winter.  I read it and seriously CRIED my eyes out.  I know Patrick remembers this…I was in the living room with the rest of my family while I started reading this story.  I then needed to stop and go down stairs to my bathroom. I closed the door…put on my Kari Jobe CD…called Patrick…and cried my eyes out.  My emotions were sort of mixed emotions because my heart was seriously just ACHING for this child…But at the same time I was also sort of relieved that God had spoken SO clearly to me and I knew that my mind was made up.  I would GO to Africa... and this is my WHY. 

As I mentioned, this story was written by the Executive Director of Visiting Orphans—Amanda Lawrence.  I am so very thankful for Amanda and her heart to serve God’s precious children.  I pray and thank God so often for Visiting Orphans and I pray that God continues to BLESS the children and orphans all around the world through this AWESOME and LIFE CHANGING organization! Please enjoy her story…

“I had a couple hours this morning that I could have finally have slept in...yet, I was awoken at 6 AM. As usual, I tried to go back to sleep but as I tried, the memories and realities of our last fourteen days rushed in. I've had no time to process everything as the leader. I'm always "on". Always... but here at the Adonai Hotel which feels like a big hug, thanks to their sweet service and lovely accommodations, I've had some down time and some time alone. We leave tomorrow night so our schedule has slowed down some as I'm trying to be sensitive to the team's emotions and energy which is quickly running out.

As I began processing these last two weeks, I suddenly remembered the news I heard yesterday which, had I been in the privacy of my home and not having to "hold it together" for the team, would have brought me to my knees.

On Monday we visited Renee Bach's ministry, Serving His Children in Jinja. Renee is doing an extraordinary service through her ministry to starving and malnourished children among the least of these in Jinja. What makes her even more extraordinary is that many times as she is nursing a child or young man or woman back to health, they will pass away in her sweet arms. Yet, she keeps on going and serving, loving her God, by loving and fighting for these children.

Our team had the honor and privilege to meet sweet Andrew who was in her care. He was four years old and had been left by his mom in a starving condition at his grandmother's front door just a few days earlier. He was at Renee's when our team visited.

 Pictures of Sweet Little Andrew

We were all stunned and shocked that he could be four, yet he barely weighed anything. I held little Andrew's feet as they were so cold and I could tell he wanted to sleep. I know when my feet are cold that I can't get comfortable enough to sleep. So, I held his little feet in my hands and rubbed them until they grew warm. It's all I knew to do. We all gathered around him and asked questions, spoke to him in our English, which he did not understand and tried to let him know we loved him.

But, you could tell he was so scared. So sad and so uncomfortable. Renee in her beauty, grace, peace and strength just calmly reassured him all the while answering our many questions. We just could not understand how someone could let their child starve. There are many questions that will never be answered. How could this team of white people ever understand life in a small mud home that has probably been visited by death and sickness many times over. Most of these poor women just give up when they find their children very sick, or when they can't find the resources to care for them.

But this sweet Andrew's grandmother had the love to take him to the hospital where Renee found him. His last couple of days were spent with two sweet women of God, Renee and her best friend, Shana, as they stayed up every hour all night long, just to feed him two tablespoons of this special mixture they make, as that is all he would eat. Every hour....all night long.

Yet, the news I heard yesterday was that Andrew passed away. What breaks me the most is that his last words were "I want my mommy". In all the love and care that Shana and Renee poured on him, he just wanted his mommy. But his mommy was nowhere to be found. I don't say this to bash her. We do NOT know her circumstances. But, I think of the MILLIONS of children who are in Andrew's condition, who die alone just wanting their mommy and it WRECKS me. In his last minute, he just wanted his mommy.

I think of Jesus who died on the cross and how forsaken He felt in those last minutes...He felt abandoned by his own Father, the God of this universe. Even he wanted to live. Even he wanted his daddy in his last few minutes here on this rotten earth.

They all just want their mommy and daddy and they are left alone.

I weep as I write this as the idea of now returning to our plush, seemingly lifeless reality hits me. We are sick in America. We are sick with fatness, complacency, indulgence, entertainment, the pursuit of success and distraction. The enemy's goal is to lull us to sleep...to make us so comfortable we cannot move!!!!!!!!!! And yet, there are starving orphans, literally, left alone to die.

I hope this blog post WAKES YOU UP!!! I hope it makes you stop eating all those lifeless foods which are trying to put you to sleep. I hope it makes you turn off that movie or television which steals your time and WASTES it. And lastly I hope it convicts you of the reality of the life of an orphan here in Africa and many other nations. And I pray as well that I will return with this same conviction and never return to that place.

A few minutes ago I went into the kitchen at this guest home to get my cup of coffee. Above the coffee maker was a sign that said, "El Roi - The Strong God Who Sees".
God sees these children and he saw Andrew. This strong loving Father picked sweet Andrew up and placed him in Renee's arms. I pray he some how knew that His loving, heavenly Father never forsook him. He loved him so much that he took him home to be with him. Home where there is no sin or death. Home where he is surrounded and engulfed by Love. Not the emotion or feeling, but the One who is Love.

We love you Renee and we are so sorry. Thank you for always getting up and going forward, even when your heart breaks so much. We are praying for you. And you inspire those of us whose hearts break. We can't give up either... There is too much at stake.”

Friends and Family…This IS my WHY.  I hope this story touched you as much as it touched and inspired me.  We NEED to GO.  These children of God NEED us DESPERATELY to GO.  God Himself has CALLED us to GO.  There are still SO many children just like Sweet Little Andrew.  Please believe that if we ALL step out and work together we can HELP all of these helpless and hopeless children! We can…we really can.  Will you GO and SERVE and LOVE wherever God is calling you to go?  I personally pray that you do and so do all of these children like sweet little Andrew.