An Orphan in this World

James

¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

This past weekend I was in Oswego for some work and some play with Issac and Jenna. I did get to go to church and see something that was a powerful testimony of God's grace and mercy.

The church was performing baptisms. The had a dunk tank on the stage and each person walked up and got in to the tank and then talked about what God had done in their life. All testimonies were compelling but one was beyond what one would expect from such a young woman.

I think what made her testimony more compelling was she did not know she was doing it

The woman was from Latvia and her father died when she was 2 and her mother put her and 2 siblings in an orphanage and left them. She talked about getting dressed up each Mother's day and waiting for her mother to come.

She never did

She talked about times she was brought in to families to live

She never did

She talk about people talking to her about Christ and how she could believe in him

She never did.

Then, she talked about a family who invited her in to their home for a summer visit and the subsequent call to be adopted in to this family.

She mentioned arriving in Atlanta and standing in the airport and no family was there to greet her and the feeling she was going to be an orphan again. The family was there and was delayed. They did find her and you can imagine the home coming she received.

She talked about being in the orphanage and being the only one who believed in God after that first summer visit and the ridicule she received for believing in Christ. She also talked about her faith in God and knew God would not leave her and he had a plan for her. She talked about doubt and would God would forget her.

He never did!

Alenna is 18 years old and gave a testimony about being an orphan in this world and an orphan without Christ. She now had her earthly family and her spiritual family as she was no longer an orphan, without Christ.

What a powerful example of God's grace and how far we are away from God as orphans in this world and how God picks us up to be in his family. I could feel her pain as she talked about the lonely days in the orphanage but I could hear her joy now that she was accepted in to a family that would not leave her ever again.

She was back home!

Lord, let me remember that I was an orphan before you called me in to your family. I was alone and without hope or direction. Thank you for your grace and mercy EVERY day has I am no longer an orphan since you called me many years ago on the Adventure in Middle Grove.