Orphans from Liberia

While at the Extraordinary Women’s Conference I went to in Fort Wayne, one of the speakers, Lysa, spoke of her two adopted sons from Liberia.

Her sons were orphans and had to walk miles to get to school and because it was a war-torn nation they would sometimes have to step over dead bodies in the road. At lunch the kids that had families had a packed lunch and sat in the middle of the playground eating but the orphans didn’t have lunch so they sat on the outside of the playground watching the other kids eat their lunch. After school the children would have to walk back to the orphanage, past the dead bodies and then would get their one meal of the day.

The orphans had to go to church services at the orphanage and were obligated to say something they were thankful for. They would be called on and if they couldn’t think of something to be grateful for they would get hit. Then one day Lysa’s son was looking down and praying not to be called on but he was. He stood up and for a minute couldn’t think of anything. But then he started singing Give Thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever. The next day another boy was called on and he sang the same thing and Lysa’s son joined in. The next day another kid did the same thing and it continued day after day until the whole group was singing. These orphan children became a choir and traveled to the U.S. to sing and don’t you know it, Lysa was going to watch them. While she was there the Lord pressed upon her heart to adopt two of them. All of the choir children were adopted and so far 45 orphans from Liberia have been adopted and given a good home.

Isn’t it amazing, God’s love for His people and how that little boy started something astounding? Singing in the midst of his difficulties, that helped him travel to the U.S. where he would find a loving home plus all the other children in the choir and even more back in the orphanage in Liberia. When we stay faithful and trusting and still praise God in the midst of our adversities, you never know where God will take you.

(I did write this story from memory. There may be minor errors but nothing that changes the miracle of this story)