James 1:27 “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (NIV)
I feel so privileged to participate in God’s work within His world. This trip to visit our orphanage in Myanmar reinforces this sentiment. What an amazing trip. Although, the journey itself was long and arduous. We left our home on a Tuesday morning and finally stepped off the plane in Kalay, Myanmar on Saturday afternoon. However, I would do it again without a second thought.
Myanmar opened up to tourism about two years ago. The number of tourist visiting the country remains relatively low. With few visitors, we stood out everywhere we went. People stopped their activities to stare at us. Random locals walked up to shake our hands, I think they expected it to bring them good luck. The upside to this situation is the lack of westernization. McDonald’s and Starbucks do not stand on every corner. The downside include the fact that credit cards are not accepted anywhere. We made many trips to ATM machines.The heat can also be oppressive with 70% humidity. Also, the city does not contain any tourist markets so no sovereigns stands to pick up local trinkets. I pray the city does not lose it’s uniqueness.
Arriving at the orphanage for the first time thrilled me.The children’s smiling faces warms me to my core. The children seemed genuinely pleased to meet us for the first time. They presented us with many gifts but my biggest memory will be the warms smiles and love I felt at that moment. We spent time visited with the children, doing some arts & crafts, and just time getting to know them all. I am blessed by each child. I receive more from each one of these orphans than I can ever give them. We serve an awesome God.
You too can be a part of this incredible work. We are always looking for new donors to help us further the work the Lord is doing with orphans. Please visit our Facebook page at http://www.Facebook.com/OREinc or visit our website, http://www.orphanreliefeffort.org to donate.
Blessing,
Yvonne
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
