"They are precious in His sight...."

 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,

Is God in His holy habitation. 

 Psalm 68:5

Hannah

Last Thursday we went to visit a small orphanage.  

Lots of little feet!

Like most places nearby, there is a lot that happens in a small amount of space.

Play yard and clothes line.

T-Bob & Hannah

We spent the morning loving on babies.  

Kitty and Justin

At home, there are lines of people wanting to hold friend's babies and toddlers.

Matthew

Here there were babies waiting to be held.

Miss A.

I thoroughly enjoyed a morning of holding little ones, but as I heard the stories, I wanted to stay. One six-month old boy is a victim of Typhoon Yolanda.  His father and siblings were killed in the typhoon.  His mother came to Manila, but she was unable to care for her newborn son and had to surrender him.

Getting acquainted.

Each little one has a sad story.  Yet, in the limited but loving care they receive,

they are content as they wait for their forever family.

Waking up with a smile!

The goal of this orphanage is to find parents for each child before they are toddlers.   They are not able to do this for every child, but they try.

Kitty and Matthew

We spent the morning in the babies' room where there are six babies.  Upstairs is a large group of toddlers, who we only waved at and said hi as they clamored for our attention.  The oldest child in the orphanage is a sweet girl of seven.  She loves to help care for the babies.  

T-Bob and Louis

The people and workers in this small home are the hands and feet of Christ as they care for and love these children.   Pray for strength and joy for them in what can seem to be a thankless service.

Defend the poor and fatherless;

Do justice to the afflicted and needy.  

Psalm 82:3

A couple days after this little visit to the orphanage, we experienced that ministry has a cost.   Poor Fred and Kitty came down with pink eye and fevers for several days.  On Sunday, we learned that Kitty (and the rest of us) had been exposed on Thursday.  A week later no one else has come down with it yet, though some are fighting colds.  Praise the Lord, but keep praying!

A few days ago I was listening to Psalm 41 and found an interesting promise.

Blessed is he who considers the poor;

The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. 

The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive,

And he will be blessed on the earth;

You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. 

The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness;

You will sustain him on his sickbed. 

Psalm 41:1-3

God promises blessing on those who consider and care for the poor, but He does not promise health! He does promise to strengthen and sustain in time of illness.

A big thank you to those of you who are praying for T-Bob and I, and our family here in the Philippines! Please don't stop!

~JoAn