Amy Norton (right) with “Auntie” (middle) says, “We desperately need sponsors for these children.”
India (MNN) — There are millions of children without caring parents worldwide today. From the United States to India, the need for foster parents, adoptive families, or orphan care is immense. India alone has 15-25 million orphans.
Is the problem too big to address?
Not according to Scripture. James 1 says, “True religion is caring for the widows and orphans in their distress.” Orphan Outreach is doing just that, and today they have an incredible need.
Orphan Outreach Program Director Amy Norton is in Manali, India, with a mission team from MNN affiliate 91.3 WCSG in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Orphan Outreach supports The House of Grace, an orphanage there with 80 kids. “We are urgently needing sponsors for the kids here because we recently lost some support that they did have through a local church who had to cut their budget back.”
The program in Manili is amazing. Norton says the orphanage is in a Buddhist stronghold. Despite coming from Buddhist backgrounds, these children are following Christ. “Their faith amazes us. And that is in large part due to the woman who started this orphanage. We call her Auntie. She was persecuted as a Christian. Her legs were even broken. She fled where the Buddhist were persecuting her for being a Christian for taking in these children.”
Team members from 91.3 WCSG in Grand Rapids, MI loved orphans in Manali, India and many became child sponsors. You can, too.
Not only have many children come to Christ, but they’re growing, says Norton. “These children are in devotion every morning at 7:00. They are in devotion in the afternoon. They all can quote Scripture. They love the Lord. We were on the bus with them yesterday; they sang worship songs the whole way to the park and back. They just truly love the Lord.”
It’s not an easy place to be a Christian. Norton says, “The Christians are very much in the minority, and so children from an orphanage who are Christians are even more so in the minority.”
What are American Christians doing to help? “We have been playing with these kids,” says Norton. “We have done all kinds of vacation Bible school activities. We do a devotional each day. We’ve had pizza and movie nights, ice cream, we had a huge bonfire last night, taught the kids dances, and they taught us dances.” The Orphan Outreach team is pouring their lives into these needy kids.
The need is so great, team members are responding to the sponsorship call. Norton says, “One of the most touching times was this afternoon watching one of our trip participants tell this little boy how much she loved and cared for him and she would sponsor him. He broke down in tears, and she broke down in tears.”
It costs $36 a month to sponsor a child in India. Norton says, “Every bit of that money comes here to India, and it support these children–not only each child, but it supports the whole orphanage with food, it pays for electricity, shoes, school supplies, monthly for their medical needs.”
The kids are listed at Orphan Outreach. Sponsor a child today to make a difference for their eternity.
