“And they will call him Emmanuel:
[Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14]
Recently my church had a guest speaker come to talk to us about his charity helping orphans of the world. He told a story that really moved me….and I think it will move you too.
“Milton” had just taken the position of president of this orphans charity when he found out that they had 800 orphans who had lost their sponsors because of the economic downturn. He decided then that the charity would not take on any new orphans until those 800 were sponsored again.
Now, during a trip to some of his orhans in Africa, he was asked to speak with a man who had walked for two days to talk to him. Milton agreed and sat to talk with this man. The man told him he was a retired teacher who owned a small farm. On his farm he was caring for 157 AIDS orphans…all by himself. Due to the drought in their country, the farm wasn’t producing enough for the children to eat. He had walked 2 days to ask Milton if his charity could find sponsors for his children.
Milton explained to him that although he understood his predeciment, he would not be able to help his children because of their new policy. He explained how they were trying to find new sponsors for the 800 children who had lost their sponsors because of the US economic problems, and their new policy was to find sponsors for these children first.
The retired teacher nodded his understanding and asked if he could pray for Milton. “Sure,” Milton told him. Then the teacher stood up, put his hands on Milton’s shoulders and prayed for Milton, the charity, the 800 children who needed sponsors and for the “horrible horrible economic troubles in the United States.” After that prayer, the teacher thanked Milton for his time, left for his two day walk back to his home and Milton sat there feeling “this small.”
When he turned to his interpreter, Milton asked, “what was that man’s name?” His interpreter replied, “Emmanuel.”
Did you know “Emmanuel” means “God With Us”? It took a man, walking two days and praying for what he thought was a horrible situation here in the US — when he had 157 starving and sickly mouths to feed, clothe and educate all by himself — to bring God’s will back into the charity. One cannot arbitrarily decide to help or not to help when God is in the details. HE will find the way, we just have to let Him lead.
Since their meeting, Milton has managed to find sponsors for almost all of Emmanuel’s kids. After telling that story, members of my church were lining up to sponsor one of Emmanuel’s kids.
Now, Food for Orphans has been asked to help this charity with food to help feed their orphans. We would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be able to help feed Emmanuel’s kids, but we are a small charity and our funds have all been earmarked for existing orphanages.This is where you come in. We know you can find a way to help.
How many times have you eaten out this week? Two? Three? More? How much did you pay for just ONE meal? In the US, the average meal in a nice restaurant costs about $15.00. ONE meal. That same $15.00 would feed ONE orphan, ONE healthy meal, every day for ONE month!
Now, is your waistline starting to expand? Could you forego just ONE meal out each month so that an orphan could have healthy meals EVERY DAY for a month?
Think about it. And that’s a pretty small sacrifice to make. It will make you healthier and it will make that orphan healthier. Of course we wouldn’t think of limiting you to ONE meal…how about 2 or 3?
“Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world.”
That’s how the song goes. I think He’d want us to love them too. All of them.
Won’t you follow His example and help us feed those hungry little ones?
ONE meal is all it takes.
$15.00. ONE meal for you.
Thirty meals for ONE orphan.
That makes a BIG difference.
Log on to our website foodfororphans.org and donate now.
Make your own One Meal Miracle.
Be an Emmanuel.
You’ll be glad you did.
