Did you know that November 2 is Orphan Sunday?
I learned about it recently when I traveled to Virginia to speak at the staff retreat for The Patrick Henry Homes for Boys and Girls. It didn’t take long for me to discover that I was among a very special group of people, men and women with huge hearts for kids and families.
Robert Day is the director of Patrick Henry Family Services. When he talks about the children in their care he says, “They need to be loved unconditionally and they need to be motivated.” Those aren’t just words for him. He knows that from experience.
As a child, Robert was first placed into a group home and then into a foster home. By the time he graduated from high school, he’d been in 57 homes.
Today, in that marvelous way God has of taking the broken pieces of our lives and turning them into beautiful mosaics of grace, Robert (along with his staff) dispenses the love and stability that he didn’t have as a child to all the boys and girls who walk through the doors of the Patrick Henry Homes.
The homes are warm and inviting, the bedrooms beautifully decorated to match the interests of each child. It doesn’t take but a few minutes of being there or watching the staff interact with the kids to realize that love is what makes the Patrick Henry Homes such a special place.
They are doing their job. They are making a difference in the lives of children and families. So what can we do to help orphans and children who need someone to love and care for them?
We can pray for those children, for God to send parents to adopt them and for caring foster parents for those who aren’t adopted. We can pray for the men and women who are providing that care.
We can give, and we can ask our churches to take up an offering on Orphan Sunday (or any other time during the year) to assist a home like Patrick Henry Homes or others who are helping children.
We can open our homes and hearts as foster parents or adopt a child who is longing for a forever home.
We can volunteer. Most homes need assistance with fundraising, fulfilling wishes (like a summer bucket list for the kids), decorating rooms in their cottages, corporate sponsorships, etc. Call and ask how you can help.
Orphan Sunday lasts for just one day–but a child’s need for love lasts forever. How can you help to make a difference?
Defend the cause of the fatherless. (Isaiah 1:17)
