Abandoned-Orphaned

World Orphans Weekly! - World Malaria Day

 

Dear Friend of the Fatherless,

Southeast Asia, West Africa, Central America. I’ve had my fair share of frustrating battles with mosquitoes in each of them...and many places in between.

Having spent 25 years in Texas, I certainly encountered a few of the pests there also.

But there’s a significant difference: In most of the developing world the high-pitched buzz of tiny wings is a harbinger of death. I’m typically juiced up on anti-malarial medication and covered in high-deet repellent while visiting dangerous zones overseas. Meanwhile, the frail child in my arms is in a deep sweat and unresponsive to the world.

Malaria kills a child every thirty seconds!

In Africa alone, three thousand children will die today!

Malaria took the daughter of one of my very best friends, a friend who now heads the children’s ministry for us here at World Orphans.

Tomorrow (Friday, April 25th) is WORLD MALARIA DAY. Could you please join millions of people in praying for the eradication of this heinous scourge that afflicts, terrorizes and kills our children and leaves so many of them as orphans?

World Orphans is actively engaged in addressing the issue. Could you please pray for us also as we provide mosquito nets, medication and other safeguards to church-based homes for children?

Together, through prayer and action, we can indeed eliminate the pain and suffering that flies at night.

Until They All Have (Safe) Homes,

Paul

President

World Orphans
1840 Woodmoor Dr., Suite 100
Monument, CO 80132
1-888-ORPHANS
719-487-1700
Facebook Profile

All contributions are tax deductible and eternally significant.

World Orphans Weekly! - Eunice's Story

Meet Eunice.

She is a young girl living alone with her grandmother in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Her grandmother is living with HIV/AIDS. There are no other relatives to help. No neighbors with the capacity to care.

Who will care for Eunice and her grandmother in a community where thousands face these same challenges?

What will happen when Eunice’s grandmother passes away?

Will Eunice become another orphan statistic?

Who will care when others will not or cannot?

World Orphans Weekly! - Africa & Asia

Dear Friend of the Fatherless,

Yesterday, Scott Vair left on a ten-day trip to Ethiopia and Sudan. In Ethiopia, he will be meeting with the Kale Heywet denomination to initiate projects with churches that already have Compassion International programs associated with them. In Sudan, Scott will be working with our partner, Operation Mobilization, to solidify our involvement with projects in Khartoum and the Darfur region.

Scott is traveling with Lameck Mbai, our East Africa representative, and Jason Fleming, a vision-trip participant who is evaluating potential service in a mobilization capacity.

Today, I also leave on a ten-day trip. I will be joining Gary Schneider and Paul Pham of Every Orphan’s Hope on a journey to Vietnam and Cambodia. We will be meeting with a number of pastors to determine the viability of placing children’s homes on their properties.

(CONTRASTS: Women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (top) and Hanoi, Vietnam (bottom) during trips I took to the two countries in 2006)

We again ask for your prayers for us and our families as we travel to expand and deepen the global work of World Orphans.

You can track Scott’s Africa trip at: aheartfororphans.com

Likewise, you can follow my Southeast Asia trip at: abandoned-orphaned.com

Thank you for your prayers!

Until They All Have Homes,

Paul Myhill
President/CEO

World Orphans
1840 Woodmoor Dr., Suite 100
Monument, CO 80132
1-888-ORPHANS
719-487-1700
Facebook Profile

All contributions are tax deductible and eternally significant.

World Orphans Weekly! - Middle East Visits

Dear Friend of the Fatherless,

Please pray for our team members that are presently visiting the Middle East.

Billy Ray is on an advance trip to Iraq in preparation for moving there with his family this summer. He will be based in Northern Iraq to serve as the Middle East Regional Director for World Orphans. You can follow his current trip on his blog, Rescue Iraq. I encourage you to go there to see the heart of this precious servant of God.

Our Executive Vice President, Mike Vinson, is in Israel right now as part of a prayer team that includes his wife, Jodi. At World Orphans, we firmly believe that prayer precedes everything and is, quite frankly, more effective than anything.

"When man works; man works. When man prays; God works!"

With that thought in mind, please lift up these two fine men and their families – for protection, effective ministry, and an abundance of opportunities to glorify our Lord.

Until They All Have Homes,

Paul Myhill
President/CEO

World Orphans
1840 Woodmoor Dr., Suite 100
Monument, CO 80132
1-888-ORPHANS
719-487-1700
Facebook Profile

All contributions are tax deductible and eternally significant.

World Orphans Weekly! - Return from Iraq

Dear Friend of the Fatherless,

Scott and I have just returned from a very eventful and productive trip to Iraq. Besides viewing the new World Orphans office there, we had the opportunity to meet with key leaders in government as well as interact with children that have been orphaned and abandoned in the country.

(PIERCING THE DARKNESS: The World Orphans office sign in Iraq)

 

(FOR THE LEAST OF THESE: Paul and Scott with some of the Iraqi children they spent time with)

We invite you to read the posts below to experience some of the journey and its achievements.

Thank you for your heart for the Iraqi churches, people...and orphans.

Nazis? – Obviously we were prepared to perhaps encounter militant Muslims on this trip, but Nazis???

Lost Sheep – A stopover in Jordan reveals a valley steeped in deception and betrayal

All – Sometimes you have to travel halfway around the world to hear additional perspectives on the Great Commission

Second Time Around – Iraq, a country of extremes

Potholes – The truth is often said in jest

Sowing Seeds: Mohammed and Jihad – Namesakes of Islam, receptive to the love of Christ

Kidnappers and Angels – A man avoids what he had once hoped to become

Circle of Tears – Not far from our location, a woman suffered the cruelest demise

Bastards (part one) – A derogatory term here; the shame of children there

Bastards (part two) – Oftentimes, you have to even implore the Church to have the compassion of Jesus

Close Proximity – Bombs to the left of us, bombs to the right. Fifty miles away, but a stark reminder of the dangers of the region

Cold Streets – Snow in Iraq? Street children have to endure harsh climate extremes

Gatekeepers (part one) – Not exactly the scene a typical tourist would encounter

Gatekeepers (part two) – Rolling out the read carpet for World Orphans

Art of Suffering – Blast barriers reveal the pain of the people

Each One a Treasure – The faces of the children

Return – The joys of traveling from a conflict-torn country

Until They All have Homes,

Paul Myhill
President/CEO

World Orphans
1840 Woodmoor Dr., Suite 100
Monument, CO 80132
1-888-ORPHANS
719-487-1700
Facebook Profile

All contributions are tax deductible and eternally significant.

World Orphans Weekly! - Back to Iraq

Dear Friend of the Fatherless,

When Mike Vinson and I traveled to Iraq last year we prayed that it would be the start of something much bigger than ourselves. Since then, World Orphans has received official registration as a charity in Iraq, a new office has been opened in a major metropolitan area, staff have been hired to carry on the organizational mission, a missionary family has agreed to move there to monitor the work, and sites have been identified for our first church-based children’s homes in significant Iraqi cities and towns.

God has indeed answered our prayers and is doing immeasurably more than we could have imagined.

Tomorrow, Scott Vair journeys with me back to Iraq. We will be dedicating the new office building, visiting project sites, and meeting with church and government officials during our time there.

You can follow our progress at www.abandoned-orphaned.com. Please register for daily updates in the top right-hand corner of the homepage.

We would greatly appreciate your prayers for our visit and for our families while we are away.

(Image: Iraqi children play outside their home in the city where the new World Orphans office is located.)

There is a dark shroud over Iraq right now, but many pin pricks of light are starting to pierce the veil.

Please pray against the darkness as we travel as harbingers of the One who is light.

AGAINST DARKNESS

The Light that Awaits – The flight into Iraq is one of complete darkness, a potent reminder of the greater struggle

Iraq Assault – Our main liaison in Iraq, a pastor, is attacked by three men lurking in the night

RAYS OF LIGHT

A Better Choice – A Muslim governor chastises a social ministry advisor over his objection to a Christian organization facilitating the rescue of orphans in Iraq

Spirit of 1776 – A new office; a new hope for Iraq’s orphans

Trinity of Love – Three languages introduce the work of the One who desires to be the "father to the fatherless" in Iraq

Thanks so much for your prayer covering of us and the abandoned and orphaned of Iraq.

Until They All Have Homes,

Paul Myhill
President/CEO

World Orphans
1840 Woodmoor Dr., Suite 100
Monument, CO 80132
1-888-ORPHANS
719-487-1700
Facebook Profile

All contributions are tax deductible and eternally significant.

World Orphans Weekly! - Kenya Crashing

Dear Friend of the Fatherless,

Most of you know that we frequently face dangerous situations as we travel the globe to initiate and facilitate the work of World Orphans. I’ve been plopped into the middle of scenes of aggression on many occasions. Add in unstable political circumstances, potential muggings, high-risk kidnap scenarios, religious tensions, and general civil conflict, and you have a rather potent mix for unrest and violence.

It’s never bothered me. It’s simply part of the risk and call to the Church and children.

I have to admit, though, that on the heels of my trip to Rwanda, the news of the rape, mutilations and killings in Kenya – especially in places of worship - had me a bit unsettled. A country of relative stability over its four decades of independence, Kenya took me by surprise.

Kenya is a country I love and visit often. World Orphans has funded over 90 church-based homes there that rescue and care for thousands of abandoned and orphaned children. Our in-country regional representative is based there. Key mission agency partners are based there. The capital city, Nairobi, along with Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, acts as our main entry point for ministry and teams into the region.

I’m in Hawaii right now, a world away from the terrors of night and the machetes that fly by day. I sense from light and diminishing news interest, that the general population is again numb to the issues and concerns of corruption and social turmoil in Africa, just like in 1994.

I’d like you to connect further with this country I love. Below are a few entries I’ve written over the last year alone regarding Kenya. I invite you to read, learn...and pray and act as if you yourselves were suffering.

RECENT UNREST

More Violence; More Orphans – Another church filled with women and children is set ablaze

Rape as a Weapon – Young boys and girls are not immune to such hatred

Kenya Violence in Photos – one, two, three, four.

PAST INDICATIONS

Demolition – An angry Muslim mob levels a church-based children’s home on Christmas Eve

Evil in their Hearts. Hate in their Eyes – Encircled by radicals at the site of destruction

THE SLUMS – FLASHPOINTS OF UNREST

The Breeding and Killing Grounds of the Orphan – Enter their world of desperation

The Testing of Job – Your husband is dead. Your seven children have all died of AIDS. You are caring for your orphaned granddaughter. You have HIV/AIDS yourself. Where is the hope?

Starfish – A little orphan girl reminds us of the hope and task

Red Handprints – The measure of a man?

Three Infant Boys – Will they survive to my next visit?

Women and Children First – In this sad reality, women are nothing more than possessions

Mud Caskets and Mansions – Better to live in squalor with Jesus, than in luxury without Him

Discarded Children – Children of the dumps in Kibera slum

Threads: Two Boys. Two Worlds – An intimate reminder in the Mathare slum

Stronger – How do the slums of Nairobi affect a person?

OTHER RELEVANT KENYA REFLECTIONS

Corruption – A root cause of the current crisis. A daily reality in Kenya

Namesake – Marked for death, this abandoned child defied the odds

The Lion's Share – Many African rulers ‘rape’ their nations for personal and tribal gain

Until They All Have Homes,

Paul Myhill
President/CEO

World Orphans
1840 Woodmoor Dr., Suite 100
Monument, CO 80132
1-888-ORPHANS
719-487-1700
Facebook Profile

All contributions are tax deductible and eternally significant.

World Orphans Weekly! - Birth and Renewal

Dear Friend of the Fatherless,

The holiday season from Christmas to New Years brings about thoughts of birth and renewal. We reflect upon the new covenant, plus look ahead to the changes and promises that the next twelve months might offer.

The time is punctuated with resolutions and hope. For many of us, that means drastic changes or commitments. For some of us, it means picking our lives and spirits up from the rubble of circumstances and tragedies that temporarily got the best of us.

In that vein, I’d like to share some reflections that I’ve had over this season.

The first set refers to the third anniversary of the South Asian Tsunami. I’d like to introduce you to one child and show you how one of our church-based homes stood ready to not only take him in, but expand to give other orphaned children hope for a new future.

The second set is more personal. It shares further on the progress of my dear friends, the Ochoa family. David and Rhonda Ochoa lost their daughter, Talitha, to cerebral malaria earlier this year while serving children’s ministries in Uganda. They now have a new baby and have moved to Colorado to join World Orphans. It’s certainly a time of new birth and new purpose for them. I think their story will serve as a good example and inspiration to you.

The third set gives you a pictorial update on the opening of the World Orphans’ Iraq office. This serves as yet another illustration of fantastic new beginnings filled with great hope and possibility. Please rejoice with us as we pioneer the work for orphans in this conflict-torn country...giving them new families, new legacies.

THREE YEARS LATER

Part One – Death on the shores; Hope across the street

Part Two – Fire and water, one boy becomes a full orphan

Part Three – A new home and a new future

PERSEVERANCE & FAITHFULNESS

Part One – A time of healing and transition

Part Two – Of Christmas delayed

Part Three – Words of wisdom born by pain

WORLD ORPHANS IN IRAQ

Spirit of 1776 – Now tangible: A new hope for Iraq’s orphans

More from Iraq – A trinity of languages to introduce The Trinity of love

From all of us here at World Orphans, we wish you a very blessed 2008, filled with new purpose and promise.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Until They All Have Homes,

Paul Myhill
President/CEO

World Orphans
1840 Woodmoor Dr., Suite 100
Monument, CO 80132
1-888-ORPHANS
719-487-1700
Facebook Profile

All contributions are tax deductible and eternally significant.

World Orphans Weekly! - Burundi

Dear Friend of the Fatherless,

We had a rather amazing response to the Rwanda field notes last week. It is always a joy to take you, our partners, along with us as we encounter the injustices and opportunities of this planet, especially in relation to the ‘least of these" – the orphaned and abandoned children who suffer so much, but who can impact our world so greatly.

After Rwanda, Burundi gave us further relationships, revelations, clarifications and probabilities.

You can join us again below:

Welcome to Burundi – Not your typical hotel greeting

Spillover – A tale of two countries, two tribes

The Great Divide – Hate impacts the smallest victims the most

Holism (part one) – What does it mean to ‘care’ for a person?

Holism (part two) – The dangers and pitfalls of fragmentation

Primary Network – Who best knows their community, their children?

Are We Comfortable Yet? – Do we focus on the right things?

Until They All Have Homes,

Paul
President/CEO

World Orphans
1840 Woodmoor Dr., Suite 100
Monument, CO 80132
1-888-ORPHANS
719-487-1700
Facebook Profile

Remembering Rwanda

Dear Friend of the Fatherless,

I’m in the presence of pure evil almost every day – small children sold for their organs, preschoolers raped, child soldiers forced to kill their own families, kids plucked off of the streets and trafficked to brothels.

...and genocide.

My soul was bruised when I stood in the killing fields of Cambodia.

And my heart was wrenched this past week while visiting the places of mass bloodshed in Rwanda.

It was a murderous rampage that caused 300,000 orphans in just a 100-day period.

I invite you to read my field reports below and remember that every statistic has a story.

Sanctuary (one) – When is a place of refuge a place of horror?

Build Up or Break Down – The tools we are given can develop or destroy

Stolen – The smallest victims

Green Lights – While we plan, children are dying

Still (a poem) – The places of suffering

Sanctuary (two) - An unimaginable evil in an unlikely place

Bags, Boxes and Racks – The dead still come to gather

An Intimate Affair – Killing is hard work

Overkill? – Why all this dwelling on despair?

Please also be sure to visit Mike's and Scott's blogs for additional perspectives and reports on this Africa trip.

Until They All Have Homes,

Paul
President/CEO

World Orphans
1840 Woodmoor Dr., Suite 100
Monument, CO 80132
1-888-ORPHANS
719-487-1700
Facebook Profile

(ec)3 Each Church. Each Child. Each Community