The orphan...

I grew up in a good home. Two loving parents who are still married after 50 years. Three brothers, a number of different pets throughout the years, a warm bed, a warm meal, hot water, vacations together, support through the years, and encouragement to dream big and pursue my goals in life.

A friend of mine recently blogged about the plight of the orphan and how her heart breaks over the orphan. Mine does too...I don't exactly know where this heart came from except that maybe because I love Jesus and God says that true religion is caring for widows and orphans, He has planted this in me.

One of the greatest and most cherished treasures I will carry with me for the rest of my life is the privilege I've had here in Hungary of befriending and being a part of the lives of some orphans.

Laci, whom I've written about before, (pictured above), is one such young man. He wasn't an "igazi orphan" (true orphan) but rather, his alcoholic and abusive parents did not provide him with a safe home, and so Laci grew up in the children's home here in Szeged. If you have followed my blog at all, you know his story, or at least the chapters I've been blessed to be a part of.

Laci is a follower of Jesus...hard-core...he went from being a hard-core punk to a hard-core follower of Jesus. Jesus has changed Laci's life...but life is still extremely challenging for Laci. He has struggled to find and keep work in this nation which is on the brink of economic collapse. He has struggled to find places to live. He has also struggled in his walk with the Lord, like all of us do at times.

My heart still breaks for Laci and others like him, whom I call my friends. Bori, who will give birth to her 3rd child in July. She is one of the best mothers I've ever seen...go figure since she spent her life in the children's home since the age of two! Gorbe Laci, age 24, who now lives in England and is working hard! His mom and dad abandoned him and then his sister did too, all before the age of 4. I have high hopes that he will come to the U.S. someday, legally, and work and study!

And then there is Nagy Laci, who is 19 and living in a homeless shelter, unemployed and pretty much uneducated. Or Dudi...also living in a homeless shelter and because of some mental deficiencies, has a hard time holding down a job. He is 24 years old.

I am so thankful for each one of these young ones. God has used them to shine a light into my heart that I pray never goes out. These precious ones have loved me in ways that some people who come from "good homes" don't even know how to love....unconditionally. They have forgiven me. They have stuck by me through thick and thin.

Yes, I have learned much from these orphans...and I have much more to learn. I believe, too, that the church at large is coming to a place where the orphan will be challenging our long-held and time-worn (out) beliefs.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27)

I don't want to turn this blog into a sermon...I'm simply sharing what has been for years and continues to be deeply planted in my heart. And as the world's population of orphans increases, I wonder what "much" will be expected from those of us who have been given "much"?