^“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans”–James 1:27

“But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”–Matthew 19:14

I was sitting on a picnic table, rows of young children in front of me.  They had sang and entertained us multiple times with dances, but now they poured out their hearts to God.  Many of them closed their eyes.  Their lungs at full capacity.  Never before had I seen such a touching, heart-felt worship to our Creator.

Following the singing, each child began praying.  We fully expected them to pray silently on their own, but to our surprise, all of the kids began praying their own prayer aloud.  It amazed me!  So often we are shy about talking with God in front of others, yet these children prayed openly and personally with Him.  They really understood what it meant to have a relationship with God.

When we first arrived at the orphanage, one of the staff overheard us comment on how blessed we felt looking at the few items the orphanage had. The staff member turned to us after this comment and said, “We’re blessed too!”  This comment changed how I saw everything that week.  It changed how I saw each child worship.  It changed the meaning of being blessed.

If you ever get the opportunity, I would encourage you to visit an orphanage!  You’ll be changed more than you can imagine…   And don’t forget, we have many foster kids in the U.S. that need a loving family to teach them about having a real relationship with the Author of love.  Maybe a child is waiting for you?