Made

God gave me a heart for India long before I felt Him call me there.  I was just more interested in India than in other foreign countries.  However, I did not think anything of this in particular until after God called me to India last summer.  Then I was able to look back and see how God was molding my heart with a love for this country.  This pull on my life is what made me want to go to Urbana where I connected with Emily Hilburn of Journey117.  I thought it was great that the organization was helping orphans, but I was really only interested in somehow getting to India.

Don't get me wrong; I think that loving and helping orphans is great.  I just never got that 'call.'  I have had conversations with so many people that are called to missions somewhere that also have this super, crazy strong call to orphan care.  Those conversations made me feel like something was missing from my own call. I was constantly thinking, "I mean, I would love to help orphans, but God hasn't told me specifically to do so."

Aha!! That is where I was wrong!  God has not revealed to me His complete plan for my life yet.... He has not told me that loving and helping orphans is part of that plan exactly in the way He told me that India is.  However, He has written out clearly in His word  the desire of His heart... that I would love the fatherless and abandoned.  So many places in the Bible command, not ask, us as Christians to defend those that God defends, to love those that He loves.  One of my favorites is Psalm 82: 3,4. "Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy.  Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked."

God hasn't just called me to orphan advocacy... He is calling all of His people.   At a weekend retreat during this past school year the speaker said, "Why not go until God calls you to stay?" while talking about cross-cultural missions.  I think orphan advocacy is much of the same.  God has already called us clearly to orphan advocacy through His word. We should continue to love and help orphans and fight for their rights until God tells us not to. (Which in my opinion would only happen when there are no more orphans.)

As this year has progressed, I have realized that God has been molding my heart into a heart that is more like His.  There was no specific moment when I was like ermagersh I want to love all the orphans!  It has been a process of learning to love like He does... learning to love who He does.  Slowly, but surely I am feeling compelled to love orphans.  But not like a 'fine God, I know You want me to do this' kind of feeling compelled, but a have to kind of compelled.  I just want to be able to love orphans in the way that God would love them.  

These song lyrics are exactly how I feel and what I want to be able to convey to the children God places in my life:

You're beautiful, wonderful,

Perfectly made, perfectly made,

You're meant to be what you see

You're not a mistake, not a mistake

Brighter than stars that shine

You light up the Maker's eyes

And you'd believe if you could see

The smile on His face the moment you were made.

I am so excited to get a chance to love the some of the orphaned children around Hyderabad, India this summer!

So incredibly excited and blessed!

Hawk Nelson – Made