what it’s all about

Meet Mynor (the good looking one on the left), a three month old baby boy who lives at Casa Shalom Orphanage in Guatemala. Letha and I just returned from a trip there to visit our daughter, Jessica and her husband Josh, where they serve as missionaries. Back in January, Mynor was found by police, lying on the side of the road, having been abandoned by his mother. He was only a day or two old. If they had not found him when they did, he surely would have died in that ditch. But they did find him, and they brought him to Casa Shalom to be cared for.

There is a very good chance that Mynor will grow up at Shalom. I know of several examples just like him who have been at the home for several years. We all hope for adoption for him but only God knows the future. And God knew that he needed to be in the loving arms of the people who work at Casa Shalom. He is being loved and clothed and cared for. He is receiving medical care and nutritious food and nurture. Jessica calls him “the Little Prince”.

And this is precisely why we are so passionate about helping orphans. God has assigned each of us the responsibility of caring for them. Anyone who is a believer in Jesus Christ accepts this responsibility. The guiding verse we hear so often is James 1:27, “Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and without fault is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help, and keeping yourself free from the world's evil influence.” (NCV)

Pray for Mynor and the other children at Casa Shalom, and pray for orphans around the world. Once you have prayed, pay attention to what God told you while you were praying about how you can make a difference in someone’s life.

By the way, Mynor is not from Alabama and I don’t think his first words will be “Roll Tide!”. He is wearing clothes that some good-hearted North American donated! If you want to know more about Casa Shalom, see Jessica and Josh's blog.