Why we are passionate about making sacrifices to help orphans in Africa.

1. God cares for orphans and widows. “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows his love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.” (Deut.10:17) In Psalm 10:14 God is actually called “the helper of the fatherless…”

God’s attitude towards orphans and widows is revealed in the commands He gave to Israel in the Old Testament. Because of His concern for the needy, God commands his people not to take advantage of widows and orphans. “You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow’s garment in pledge.” Beyond that, He commands his people in the Old Testament to give sacrificially to widows and orphans. “When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again, it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the alien, it shall be for the orphan and for the widow…” (Deut.24:20,21) And the reason he gives them for this command is in verse 22, “And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.” They are to serve the helpless in this way because of the way God treated them while they were helpless, and serving widows, orphans and aliens will actually be a reminder to them of their own redemption.

2. Concern for the orphan and widow is given as a mark of holiness throughout the Old Testament. Remember how Job’s friends attacked his character? One of the ways he proved his godliness was by his concern for the orphan. “I delivered the poor who cried for help and the orphan who had no helper.” (Job 29:4) He goes on to say in chapter 31, “If I have kept the poor from their desire, or have caused the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel alone has not shared it…If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan, because I saw I had support in the gate…Let my shoulder fall from the socket and my arm be broken off at the elbow…” In other words, “I deserve God’s judgment if I didn’t care for the orphan and the widow.”

3. Lack of concern for the orphan and widow is given as a mark of wickedness. In Isaiah 1, Isaiah cries out against the wickedness of the people of Israel. God tells them He hates their religious activity. He says in verse 16 , “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight, cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice…” and what will that look like? “reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” An old Puritan, Nathaniel Samuelson who was used by God to establish a network of clinics, hospitals, and missions that in fact became the model for William Booth who established the Salvation Army, once said, “Sodom was crushed in divine judgment. And why asks me? Was it due to abomination upon abomination such as those perpetuated against the guests of Lot…” That’s not the reason Scripture gives. “Was it due to wickedness in commerce, craft in governance, and sloth in manufacture?” That’s not the reason Scripture gives. “In Ezekiel 16:49 Scripture says, “Behold this was the guilt of your sister Sodom, she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.”

4. This concern for the poor, especially widows and orphans isn’t only an Old Testament concept. One of the very first things the leaders of the early church did in Acts 6 was what? Establish a way to care for widows. And when Paul writes a letter to Timothy explaining how to run the church, he gets very specific about this in 1 Timothy 5, saying “honor widows who are widows indeed…” and laying out a plan for exactly how the church is to go about doing that. A quick survey of the New Testament reveals as someone else has written, a “startling level of commitment to ministries of compassion. Tabitha was a godly woman whose chief occupation was helping the poor. (Acts 9:36-41) Barnabas was a man of some means who made an indelible mark on the early Christian communities, first by supplying the needs of the poor out of his own coffers (Acts 4:36-37) and later by spearheading efforts and taking up collections for famine stricken Judeans. (Acts 11:27-30) Titus was the young disciple of Paul who organized a collection for poor Christians in Jerusalem. (2 Cor.8:3-6) Later he superintended further relief efforts in Corinth (2 Cor.8:16-17) When we last see Titus, he has taken over the monumental task of mobilizing the Cretan church for similar good works. Paul was a man himself deeply committed to remembering the poor. (Gal.2:7-10) His widespread ministry began with a poverty outreach (Acts 11:27-30) and he went to great lengths to network the churches of Greece and Macedonia for relief purposes. (2 Cor.8-9) In the end he willingly risked his life for this mission of compassion. (Acts 20:17-35) The Good Samaritan is the unnamed lead character in one of Christ’s best love parables. When all others including supposed men of righteousness had skirted the responsibility of charity the Samaritan took up its mantle. Christ concluded the narrative saying, ‘Go and do likewise.’ (Luke 10:37) These early Christian heros fully comprehended that religion that our God and Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows and distress…They knew that true repentance evidenced itself in sharing food and sustenance…” with the hungry.

5. Mercy is a test. It’s a test of the reality of our religion. Pure and undefiled religion is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress. Timothy Keller explains, “…the poor and needy are a test. Our response to them tests the genuineness of our faith toward God. No passage is clearer at this point than Matthew 25:31-46. This describes Jesus’ examination of mankind on Judgment Day. He distinguishes those who have true faith from those who do not by examining their fruit, namely their concern for the poor, homeless and sick prisoners. How can this be? Jesus, when he says, “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me,” is merely expanding on Proverbs 19:17…He is also agreeing with James, John and Isaiah in saying that a sensitive social conscience and a life poured out in deeds of mercy to the needy is the inevitable outcome and sign of true faith. By such deeds God can judge true love from lip service.”

Robert Murray Mcheyne commented on Matthew 25 saying, “I fear there are some [professing] Christians among you to whom Christ will not say “Come Thou Blessed…inherit the kingdom” Your haughty dwelling rises in the midst of thousands who have scarce a fire to warm themselves at, and have but little clothing to keep out the biting frost; and yet you never darkened their door. You heave a sight, perhaps at a distance, but you do not visit them. Ah! Dear friend! I am concerned for the poor but more for you. I know not what Christ will say to you in the great day…I fear there are many hearing me who may know now well that they are not Christians because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart; an old heart would rather part with its life-blood than its money. Oh my friends! Enjoy your money, make the most of it; give none away, enjoy it quickly for I can tell you, you will be beggars throughout eternity.”

George Grant writes regarding Charles Spurgeon’s mercy ministries, “Both Rippon and Spurgeon looked upon their work of sheltering the homeless as part and parcel of the rest of their ministry. It was inseparable from their other labors, preaching, writing, praying and evangelizing. It was inseparable in fact from their faith in Christ. Once a doubter accosted Spurgeon on a London thoroughfare and challenged the authenticity of his faith. Spurgeon answered the man by pointing out the failure of the secularists in mounting a practical and consistent program to help the needy thousands in the city. In contrast, he pointed out the multitudinous works of compassion that had sprung from faith in Christ: Whitefield’s mission, Mueller’s orphanage, Bernardo’s shelter. He then closed the conversation by paraphrasing the victorious cry of Elijah, boisterously asserting, “The God who answereth by orphanages, let him be God.” True believers prove themselves to be children of their Father by demonstrating His concern for the helpless. They are marked by compassion that acts. They see the needs of others. They are moved by them. And they act to help in whatever way they can. True Christians aren’t just concerned about themselves.

6. Mercy isn’t an option for the believer. “He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.” (Prov.14:31) “He who is gracious to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.” (Prov.19:17) “Pure and undefiled religion is this, to visit orphans and widows in their distress…” (James 1:27) And we don’t just sin in what we do when it comes to this, we sin in what we don’t do. James 4:17, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

7. For those for whom the preceding isn’t enough, let’s talk strategy. Seriously. I’m hesitant to even bring this up but I know it’s the way some people think. So here goes. If you move into a culture that is far from God and you were just dreaming about ways that you could impact that culture – could you possibly think of a more strategic way to make an impact than to have 10-40 million children placed in solid Christian families? Imagine say 2 million orphans, that is 2 out of 10, placed in solid godly families who are a vital part of a solid godly church starting at age 2 or 3 or 4 and being trained there for 14-18 years. Please, can you come up with a better way from a human perspective to actually be used by God to change an entire culture?

Zanele is 4 years old and a very happy and healthy little girl. This was not always the case, however. Zanele was born HIV+ due to her mother being HIV+. She was diagnosed with fast progressing AIDS and by the age of 2 she was near death. At 2 1/2 years old her mother died along with her baby sister. She developed Chronic Lung disease and was brought to an orphanage as a very very sick little girl. The caretakers at this orphanage got her to a hospital and they immediately started her ARV medication to treat her AIDS status. At 3 years old she was gaining strength and health each day. She also gained a family!! A daddy, a mommy, and 4 sisters. We are so happy to have Zanele as part of our family!! She has been with us now for 1-1/2 years. She takes her meds every 12 hours which keeps her immune system up and helps block the HIV virus. At her last blood work her HIV viral load came back undetected. We know she will never be cured from HIV but with regular meds, good nutrition, and lots of love, she is as healthy as any other little girl. Most people find it quite cute how she is our little Zulu girl that speaks with an American accent and the love she has for her daddy matches nothing else!!! For the first several months she would not just call him “daddy” but “my daddy.” One of our favorite memories was when we first got Zanele – I would tuck her in at night and say “I love you!” and she would say, “huh, mommy, huh.” Every night it went on like that. One night as I tucked her in, told her I loved her and was walking to the door I heard a little voice say “mommy? I love you!” She says those words all of the time now. Every day she tells her daddy – “I love you, so much, forever.” Many will say that Zanele is blessed to have a family, to be healthy, and to know Jesus but we also will say that we are the ones so blessed to have her as our little girl. Please pray with us that Zanele’s health will continue and that she will grow up to be a woman who loves the Lord!!! Zanele is an example of thousands and thousands of orphans you will see here in South Africa. Many who are still waiting for a home. Please pray for the Lord to open the hearts of godly families here, to take hold of the opportunity for such a blessing as this – to care for the fatherless.

Meet Maphumuzi ("Muzi") - his name means "give me a home"

This is how you will most always see little Muzi – a huge smile on his face!! Muzi was born HIV+ and the story of his first 3 years is quite vague. What we were told is that both Muzi and his mother were near death with AIDS and admitted to a hospital. Once his mother had gained strength and a bit of health she checked herself out of the hospital but left Muzi there. We are not sure how long he was left at the hospital but it was there that he started his ARV treatment for HIV and was transferred to a local orphanage. Muzi was such a fragile soul. While his mother was pregnant with him she became quite sick which in turn caused Muzi to have a stroke. He has a weak left side and still has not developed in speech. Muzi joined our family 1-1/2 years ago and he has grown so so much!!! He was just starting to walk and laughing seemed to be a new skill for him, actually everything seemed to be a new skill to him – playing, hugging, being loved . . . His past is vague but it seemed that for the first 3 years of his life he did nothing but sit. Many may hear his story and think “poor little guy, he has it so hard”. Muzi seems to disagree as he has more joy than most!!! He seems to find pure joy in the little things in life, like pizza on Friday nights and hugs from his sisters or daddy. He loves people and anyone who visits will be greeted with a very enthusiastic hug and smile from Muzi!! Please pray with us that the Lord would grant Muzi speech and the ability to talk. He understands when being spoken to but is unable to communicate back through words. He uses some signing and also some of his own creative ways of letting us know what he wants!! Please also pray that through medication and lots of love, God would grant Him a long healthy life. All to His glory!!!

Birth name – Xolani – little tricky for us Americans to say, as it has a click sound in it:)

Little Lincoln is a miracle baby and we pray that he will grow up to use the life God has given him for His glory. He is now 10 months old and has quite a story of God’s grace in his life already. Little Lincoln was born 2 months early – why? We were told that his mother had gone in for an abortion, and well, he survived. We know no details. His mother did not want him and knew of the only place to bring him would be child welfare. She forged papers from where he was born, stating that he was HIV+, thinking that was her best chance of convincing child welfare to take him. She requested that he be cared for and looked after for awhile. She was never seen again… and the cell phone number she left was not valid. He was placed in an orphanage that cares for HIV+ children but was quickly discovered that he was NOT HIV+. The orphanage could no longer keep him, but had no place for him to go. The social worker said that he is now listed as abandoned and that the orphanage could do whatever they wanted with him. At 4 months old, Lincoln joined our family!!! I am sure he had no idea how many little girls were here ready to cuddle, hug, rock, and spoil him!! He is the happiest little baby!! Lincoln was born with a club foot but has had surgery to correct the major problem and is just required to wear special boots during the nighttime until he is 3 years old. He is a healthy, happy, little boy – and has brought so much joy to our family!!! As I reflect on the 3 little ones God has brought into our family I see such an amazing work of God and His sovereign plan. They each really represent millions of orphans that are still without families. Zanele – the orphaned, Muzi – the abandoned, and Lincoln – the rejected. But now? They are accepted, cared for, and so very very loved!! Our passion and prayer is for other families here in South Africa to open their homes and their hearts to this wonderful opportunity to show the love of Christ to a lost world!!!!

MEET SUZANNE

Suzanne is a dear lady who lives in a township north of Pretoria called Stinkwater. She has started a ministry in Stinkwater where she does what she can to care for orphans and widows in her community. At present she feeds 57 orphans during the week. Her dream is to be able to feed them every day but for now the children come to her on Sundays for lunch (after attending church with her), Thursday evenings, and Saturday evenings. For many of the children these are the only “real” meals they get during the week. Suzanne has lived in Stinkwater for most of her life and she tells of her arrival to her home like this: “At a very young age I, along with my family and many other black South Africans, were loaded into huge trucks and driven away from the city.  They drove and drove and once they found themselves in the middle of nowhere and far enough away from the white population, they dumped us off.  I remember we were determined to survive.  Many of the men and women started digging for water and the water that was found was stinky and bad. Within the first 2 weeks many many people died. I survived. I watched as the people around me turned a barren land into our home. Mud homes were built, roads made and new schools, shops, churches and… clean water. I decided quite young that I would never leave Stinkwater. I had survived the rough arrival and would stay here to serve and minister to those around me. It was a rough life. I am blessed to have a home, a husband and children.”  Suzanne is doing what she can to help some of the 2 million orphans in South Africa. We met Suzanne about a year ago and on most Saturdays try to go and visit her and the children. We have started a Bible Club once a month and have enjoyed sharing with the children not only food but the good news that could change lives and could transform Stinkwater.  Please pray for Suzanne that she will persevere in helping these little ones and that God would grant her strength and joy in all circumstances. Please also pray that the Lord would provide the resources for Suzanne to be able to provide a “real” meal each and every day for these children. . . that is her dream.  And through this she prays that many of these fatherless children will become children of our Heavenly Father!!!

This is our friend Paul. A refugee from DRC. He has been in South Africa for 6 years.  This is his story…

I was born in the DRC on May 24th, 1993. I remember at a very young age my mom taking me to my grandma’s home and telling me to stay there as she left with my younger brother – I never saw her again. I moved with my grandmother to Goma when I was 4 years old and at age 7 we heard news that my mom had died. I loved living with my grandma as she was all I knew as a “mom”. She loved me, cared for me, and provided for me.

When I was 8 years old my Auntie came to visit us and said we must come and live with her in Uvira. The morning we were to leave my grandmother told me she was not going to go but said I must. This was so very upsetting to me as a young boy as she was like my mom and was everything to me, but I had to go as she said. I traveled with my Auntie to Uvira and the night I arrived I met a boy named Mustapha. At that time I had no idea what a friend Mustapha would become to me. . . I can say “a brother”!!! Not long after arriving in Uvira my grandmother passed away. At that time my auntie decided to tell all around us that she was my real mother. Everyone believed her because we looked so much alike but I knew the truth. I kept the secret because she was very loving to me. She provided everything for me – just like a mom.

When I turned 9 years old I started attending Kimbangu school – with my friend Mustapha. There was always war going on around us but we continued with life and school. Some weeks we would go to school for 2 days or 3 days, depending on gunfire in the area. One day while in school, bullets and sounds of bombs we heard so very very close – and coming closer. All of us in the school started running, jumping out of windows, finding anyway out and kept running. Mustapha and I ran together. We ran and ran and ran and kept on until we reached the neighboring country of Barundi. I never said goodbye to my aunt – and I have never seen her again.

When in Barundi we found and went to Mustapha’s sister’s home and stayed there for one month. We were abused and robbed many times while being there, so we decided to leave for a refugee camp in Tanzania. While in the camp we met a man named Charles who took charge of us 10 year old boys. He told us he could not stay with us however because he was headed in another direction and was hoping to go to Canada. That same night we were all loaded up and taken to a refugee camp in the forests of Tanzania. It was a terrible place and we knew we would die there. A group of people formed and we started walking one night to find a ship to take us back to DRC. We found the ship but it was only going to Zambia – so, we went to Zambia. We were given food at a refugee camp in Zambia – we sold the food in order to get train tickets and got on a train to Malawi. In Malawi Mustapha and I left the group. We sold food again in order to get to Mozambique. We had trouble getting across the border without passports but joined with others in hiding at night and sneaking through the bushes. At the Mozambique and Zimbabwe border we dealt with the same thing.  A guy that was helping us across the borders knew the Zimbabwe language and helped us get to a camp where soldiers were staying.

The soldiers helped us find a bus and we were taken to a refugee camp.  The man helping us then left and headed to South Africa. Mustapha and I stayed at this camp for 1 month. We met many guys at this camp who were also headed for South Africa, so we decided to follow them. We started out on foot and then were able to get on a truck to the border of South Africa.  Without passports we knew we would have a challenge getting across as it was highly guarded and electric fence. While trying to get across we were spotted.  The soldiers fired bullets into the air and we all lay down. The soldiers took us and we told them the only English word we knew then – “refugee” – we are “refugees”.  They took the guy who had been helping us cross the border and they beat him very badly and broke both of his legs.  They took Mustapha and I to their soldier camp. We were surprised that they treated us so well, they even brought us to sleep inside. In the morning they took us to get refugee papers. We spent some days begging. . . and once we had enough money we made our way to Pretoria, South Africa.

Once arriving in Pretoria, we saw Charles. He bought us some bread and cold drinks. We spent 3 nights sleeping on the streets as Charles worked to find a place for us to stay. He spoke to a gentleman that was willing to take us in. We spent the next 5 years with this kind man. We now live with Charles and his family and several others in a flat in Sunnyside (the center of Pretoria). I attend school and am currently in grade 10. I love the Lord and long to bring the gospel to the world through rap music. Mustapha and I and 3 other boys have formed a rap group called “The Blessed Boys”.

Note from the Macks:  Emmanuel introduced us to Paul about 7 months ago. As we will soon be moving to Sunnyside, we have offered Paul and Mustapha a room in our home. Please pray for this young man. Pray that he will continue to find hope in all circumstances and above all he will bring God glory with the life He has been given.