Friday Little Bits: A Garbage Bag? That's Not Right!

I have handed out many copies of Tony Merida and Rick Morton's excellent book, Orphanology.   The book is a great overview of orphan care -- why we should get involved in it and how we can get involved in it.  I have now been a part of two groups who have gone through a study of the book, and Rick has personally spoken to a group of those at our church who were interested in getting involved in some aspect of orphan care.

Righteously Indignant

Of all the great examples in the book, there is one that seems to make people righteously indignant every time.  The authors tell of social workers going into homes to pick up children to remove them from dangerous situations.  When they arrive, they often hurriedly pack the children's belongings . . . in a garbage bag. 

Reading or hearing about this usually provokes a reaction somewhere between frustration and infuriation.  Not at the social worker.  Not even at the parents.  At the garbage bag.  For a child who has already been through the pain of abuse or neglect, is it too much to ask that their belongings be packed into a decent piece of luggage?  Aaarrrrggggghhh!!!

Could Do, Should Do

With all the staggering statistics about at-risk and orphaned children around the world, it is easy to be so overwhelmed that we do nothing.  But providing "dignity bags" seems to be something that people say, "We should do something about that.  We could do that."

And we should.  Psalm 139:16-17 (HCSB) says, "Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all [my] days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.  God, how difficult Your thoughts are for me [to comprehend]; how vast their sum is!"  A garbage bag doesn't reflect God's heart toward these children -- quite the opposite, in fact.  They have an enemy who will tell them for the rest of their lives that they are worthless.  Believers in Jesus Christ, we should reflect our Redeemer from the moment these children are taken from these horrible situations.  Beginning with a "dignity duffel" and continuing from there.

The Call

Through one of the foster parents in our church, we were able to make contact with our local Department of Human Services and let them know our desire to partner with them in providing these dignity bags along with some basic essentials (toiletries, diapers, etc.).  This week, I received a call from a social worker from DHS.  After a few words of introduction, she started off with these chilling words: "It's true."  They really do pack children's belongings in a garbage bag.

And we really can do something about that.  Check back here in the weeks to come to find out how.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al