#SC 15 - Vietnam's Invisible Children

Recently the Biblical concept of caring for the orphans has been put in front of me quite extensively. It has been a great reminder of how we are to live, but it has also been a great reminder of my often complacency to the issue. I have recently been reading through "Orphanology" by Tony Merida and Rick Morton as I prepare to walk Old Fort Baptist Church through Merida's new book - "Ordinary: How to Turn the World Upside Down." In "Orphanology," Merida quotes Tom Davis in saying, "When it comes to caring for the people on God's heart, indifference is a sin."

Merida identifies four Biblical convictions that should drive us to display radical love for the fatherless (p. 60-71):

1) God is concerned for all people made in His image

2) He has a special concern for the fatherless

3) God commands His people to share His concern for the fatherless

4) He is pro-adoption

In addition to this study, I have also been working through "Counter Culture" by David Platt. This book discusses many topics that will be at the center of our Secret Church gathering on April 24. The prayer focus for the event is Vietnam. Several weeks ago, the Secret Church blog posted an article about Vietnam's invisible children.

In Vietnam, there are thousands of children who live and work on the busy city streets. Whether they live on the streets with their parents, or come in from out of town to make a living, there are many dangers that these children are exposed to. Some children are orphans, and often find their family community in gangs and other orphans. These children become exposed to sexual exploitation, prostitution, drug addictions, abductions, starvation, etc.

Though this style of living is difficult, the children continue to live this way, because there is no other discernable way for them to survive.

This has become an endless cycle that must be ended. May we have a burden for the lost, a burden for the poor, and a burden for the orphans that they might hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The Secret Church blog post closed with a request to pray for the street children of Vietnam. Here are the prayer requests that I suggest we pray as we prepare for Secret Church on April 24:

- Pray for Christians to treat street children with love and compassion. Ask that God will give Vietnamese Christians ways to offer help to the children of the streets.

- Pray for street children to hear the Gospel and learn about the God who created them and loves them.

-Pray for street children to be able to have identification papers so that they can go to school, get a job, and rent a home in the future.