Thoughts

Theonest (from the Home of Innocence)

I have heard people say, "We should help our own before we help anyone else."  Meaning, don't give to those outside the US while there are still people who need help here.  What are your thoughts on this?

A friend of ours is doing an English paper and sent some interview questions to Mike.  He asked me to help answer a few of the questions.  Here are two of them:

#3.    How is helping orphans or street children in another country important to our society?
We must realize that these invisible borders we have traced across this earth do not sever the tie we have to people around the world.  When we mistakenly believe that we are able to ignore suffering because it “belongs to someone else”, while we live in relative prosperity we not only rob them but we rob ourselves of the connection that comes from reaching out to our “brothers and sisters” around the world.  We were created with feelings, and to ignore or shut out the cries of the needy is to shut down & kill a part of our own hearts.  To be truly “human” means we care when we see suffering, even if that person looks different from us or speaks differently than we do.

#12.    Is there anything you would like to add that would help others understand the needs of these children?  They are children just like yours.  They laugh at jokes, they cry when they are hurt, they run, they play, and they long for someone to tell them they are special & to know they are loved.  They have not chosen the life they have, but because of choices made by others they are forced to live a life of survival.  They have hopes and dreams like any other child.  They want to be teachers, doctors, lawyers, business owners, and more.  They hold on to the hope that someday they will be able to go to school, someday things will change.  They know how precious opportunity is & most of them, if given the chance to go to school and move beyond survival, will seize the opportunity.  It is so beautiful to see them soar!

What are your thoughts on this? What do you think when you hear people say something similar to "help our own first"? I would love to hear from you.

God Bless You,
Lisa

P.S. Please pray for us as we consider a home for rent in Rwanda, from a missionary family going on furlough (we would be able to rent beginning Sept. 1st). We are praying to see if this is the home God wants us to be in.