Over Our Heads…How Great Is Our God

At the very beginning of the 4theVoiceless ministry, there was no name.  There were only people with a passion to minister to the fatherless.  We didn’t know what that looked like on a churchwide scale.  There was no clear direction, but there were others willing to come alongside us to help get us started.  Russell Moore helped us see how inextricably tied adoption is to the nature of God.  The folks from the Abundant Life Ministry at Lifepoint Senatobia, notably Jay Adkins and Lauren Johnson, gave us direction in organizing an orphan care ministry.  Rick Morton helped us break down orphan care into “do-able” segments and, unknowingly, gave us our much-discussed-but-never-agreed-upon name.  This was all in February of this year.

Months later, we still feel overwhelmed in many ways.  But we knew we would. We couldn’t look at the resources at our disposal and the enormity of the need of the world’s 140 million+ orphans and feel anything other than overwhelmed.  But, using the analogy of the Starfish Story, we determined that we would allow God to use us for whatever He desired of us.  So we began to move ahead with plans to help couples adopt or foster, to minister to orphans in homes both domestically and internationally, to provide transitional assistance, and to one day host orphans.

Then, the Basingers announced they were moving back to west Texas.  They were foundational to 4theVoiceless and the first couple to complete an adoption during 4theVoiceless’s ministry.  Then, the Beesons announced they were moving to Pennsylvania.  Their energy and organizational skills have been vital to our shaky first steps as a ministry.  Their adoption from Uganda won’t go through before they move; we will have to celebrate with them from a distance.  We’ve lost other people who were part of the beginning of 4theVoiceless for various other reasons…

but…

…that’s looking ahead and around.  We can drown in the overwhelming tide of the need of the world’s orphans and also in the tsunami of present circumstances.  Perspective is often best gained in looking back.  In just four months, God has shown Himself true to His nature in His care for the fatherless through 4theVoiceless and Colonial Hills Church.  The Basingers have adopted their beautiful daughter, Annie Faith.  At least two other adoptions are in the waiting stage and others are considering adopting a child.  One of our couples who came to the ministry kickoff with Rick Morton as a favor to their small group leader, are now nearing certification as foster parents.  We’ve make lots of paper bead jewelry items and paracord bracelets to sell in order to support these folks.

Our people have ministered to orphans in Haiti and Russia in these past four months.  Two teams just returned from Jamaica, they built a playground (including full-court basketball court) at a deaf school where we have ministered for years.

In looking back over just four months, we are amazed at what God has done through CHC and 4theVoiceless in ministering to the dear children who may have very little voice in this world but whom He cares for very much.  Many of our people who had never considered the plight of orphans near and far are now actively involved in serving them.  How appropriate that as I bring this blog of praise to the Father to the fatherless to a close, I find myself listening to “How Great Is Our God (World Edition).”  He is great, indeed.

“Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed.”  --Proverbs 31:8 (HCSB)