Last week, our church spent two services talking about orphans. We sang, we prayed, we watched a video about the work that Hand in Hand has been doing in Belarus; we gave. And many of us promised to do more– to wait no more to do what God has commanded us to do.

We have a Christmas trip to Belarus coming up. There are presents to buy, itineraries to craft, a program to prepare. The majority of our orphan work is centered around the country of Belarus. Sometimes we work in Ukraine, or other nearby Eastern European countries. We spend our time there not because we believe that these countries are more deserving, but because God has opened those doors to us, and it is where we believe he has planted us.

That said, we do not believe that an orphan ministry must only be focused on an international level. We have orphans here in America. We have a need here, in our state, in our towns, in our neighborhoods.

Jedd Medefind of Christian Alliance for Orphans recently wrote the following: “A few weeks ago, I spoke with a man who worked with the foster system in Maine. He explained that the state government was making serious efforts to partner with churches to find caring homes for foster children. Although Maine’s government was not known for being particularly welcoming to faith-based organizations in the past, a combination of budget challenges and growing awareness of the willingness of churches to engage was opening doors to partnerships the state hadn’t previously considered.”

Meanwhile, Focus on the Family’s Wait No More initiative reminds us that not only is there a need right here in our own country, but there is also a solution: it’s estimated that there are some 114,000 orphans in America… while there are more than 300,000 churches. If the Bible calls us to care for orphans, and there are more than enough of us to answer the call, the question remains: what are we waiting for?

Orphan Sunday gave us the opportunity to reevaluate the ways in which we spend our resources, time, and energy. It also gave us the opportunity to make a promise that we would work on behalf of the orphan… no matter where he or she is located.

Please join us in our mission to minister to children. This isn’t a call to leave everything and join us in Belarus next summer– it’s simply a desire to see God’s people being used where He has placed them; using the skills, talents, and resources that He has equipped them with to bring His Glory to every child born into this world.