Camels are part of the landscape of Israel but I never got used to seeing them while I was there. Why? Because
they aren't part of the world I live in in Gainesville, Florida. Jesus would have been very familiar with camels in His day.
I believe God must have a sense of humor because of the assortment of unusual creatures He has created here. So why do I have
a picture of camels on my website? To jar you awake to the unfamiliar. Our home in heaven will have many things we are
familiar with here, but because we only see a small portion of God's creation in this world now, our home in heaven
will probably seem "out of this world." Indeed, it will be.
Perhaps this picture will awaken a curiosity about the world that awaits us in heaven. Our
adoption by our heavenly Father promises us an inheritance. A new Jerusalem that will come down from
heaven. Jesus will walk with us, as He did on the road to Emmaus with the disciples. The adoption of Joy and Manisha
has given me an even greater longing for the heavenly home that awaits me. For as I prepared for the arrival of my children,
God is now in heaven preparing to receive me. And you. He longs to have a relationship with us, to call us His
children. What greater love can there be? God loved us so much that He died for us, not only to save us from
our sins, but to adopt us for all eternity.
Synopsis of Children of Dreams
My Daughters from the Ends of the Earth
Dear Birthmother
Adoption, Youtube and other links
Why Are Americans So Afraid of Orphans? Why do the marketers of the movie “Orphan” think it will scare people?
In this country alone there are over 500,000 children
in the foster care system. Worldwide, the U.N. estimates there are more than 145 million orphans. To put this into a number
easier to understand, my oldest daughter, Manisha, now 18, was adopted from Nepal when she was three. The estimated population
of Nepal is around 28 million. That means there are over four times as many orphans in the world as there are people in her
native country.
Expressed another way, the
population of the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July 21, 2009, is 306,969,874. That means the
number of orphans in the world equals half the population of our country.
If the word “orphan”
is searched on Google today, the first two listings are for the movie “Orphan.” What a lost opportunity to speak
the truth in love! The Wikipedia definition is third: “An orphan is a child permanently
bereaved of its parents.”
The real horror is not that the movie portrays orphans as
monsters. It’s the number of children that will be hurt by this disturbing message. The movie "Orphan" is
only going to reinforce in the hearts and minds of individuals that orphans are damaged goods at best, monsters at worse.
Those who have thought about adopting may have second thoughts, plagued with fears and doubts. Children
and teenagers who have been adopted and hear about or see the movie might be tempted to question their own self‑worth
or value. Orphans who might have been adopted may not be because of the ill‑conceived notion, perpetuated by this movie,
that they are “bad.”
“Orphan” is a sad commentary on Hollywood, our society, and a tragic statement of the culture
we live in. A world where money is the bottom line and sensationalism tickles the ears of gullible listeners—let it
not be at the expense of those who are the least fortunate. Instead, as in the words of flight director, Gene Kranz, as portrayed
in the movie “Apollo 13,” when everyone doubted that the space program would be able to bring those doomed astronauts
home, he stood up and said, “With all due respect, sir, I believe this is gonna be our finest hour.”
I challenge every American, particularly those who are Christians, to look beyond the movie at the real horror—the
little one who has no one to call mommy or daddy; the baby who goes to bed at night with a protruding, empty belly; the 145
million children around the world who, through no fault of their own, have lost their parents to AIDS, malnutrition, poverty,
and violence.
Although all orphans have needs, some more than others, they are not monsters. They are
children with beating hearts, sticky fingers, and minds full of unleashed potential. They just need to be given a chance.
They are children made in the image of Christ and loved by the heavenly Father.
Rather than attacking the
movie, let's join together and rewrite the script of “Orphan.” Give an orphan a chance to worship in our
church and synagogue. Invite one to sit down at the dinner table. Help all of them to be educated in schools. Let us
change the negative image of an orphan one life at a time. Let us encourage them to dream big dreams and become everything
God created them to be. Most of all, let us show the world that they are loved, just as Christ loved us.
If it were not for God's unconditional
love, we would all be orphans. If we unite, we can send a far different message to Hollywood. We can speak for those little
ones that sit in overcrowded orphanages and wait. And hope.
Through God's love, let us love until we feel their pain. Only then
can we make a difference. Let us not let Hollywood have the last word. Truly, we can become the hand of God as we touch one
of His own. Let it begin with me. Orphans Deserve Better. Let this be “our finest hour.”
http://www.lorilynroberts.com/
