“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” – Proverbs 13:12

This verse always brings orphans to my mind. If there are any people in the world who have “deferred hope” it is those who have lost their parents at the time they need them most.

And that creates a sickness of the heart that is hard to hide. You see it in their first pictures…maybe the first time that anyone has taken a picture of them and said, “You are going to get a sponsor in America.”

But that longing is fulfilled when the first letters arrive. And that begins to make the difference. It’s the first corner turned in the maze each orphan must complete to make it to adulthood.

Thank you for caring for kids this Christmas. Pray that God would inspire families throughout the world to care for orphans through prayer, sponsorship, adoption, missions, and whatever else they have to offer.