My Favorite Charity/Cause

During this current adoption process I ran across a story of a woman from South Africa that lives in China and runs a foster home for medically needy children. Now, during the course of my week I read all kinds of adoption related things but for some reason this lady and her mission has really touched my heart. The name of her home is the Starfish Home and is named from the well known legend of the little boy and the starfish which sums up her call and mission.

The Starfish Legend

An older man was walking along a beach when he saw a young boy. Along the shore were many starfish that had been washed up by the tide and were sure to die before the tide returned. The boy was walking slowly along the shore and occasionally reached down and tossed a beached starfish back into the ocean.
The older man, hoping to teach the boy a little lesson in common sense, walked up to the boy and said, "I have been watching what you are doing, son. You have a good heart, and I know you mean well, but do you realize how many beaches there are around here and how many starfish are dying on every beach every day? Surely, such an industrious and kindhearted boy such as yourself could find something better to do with your time. Do you really think that what you are doing is going to make a difference?"
The boy looked up at that man, and then he looked down at a starfish by his feet. He picked up the starfish, and as he gently tossed it back into the ocean, he said, "For this one, it makes a difference."

Just about every time I get a blog update from their site I'm struck with tears. First of all, while I call myself a Christian I have those days where I wonder what exactly is it that I do to further the cause of His kingdom? Do I try to live a good life, well yes - absolutely. But what am I doing to help others? What am I doing to help the least of these? My heart absolutely breaks and my eyes well up at just the thought of a child in the world not having a mother - someone to hold them up close, someone to kiss away the hurts, someone to snuggle up and rock with at bedtime and someone to call their very own. The question I keep asking myself is what is I can do to help? I'm still working on that.

Obviously the first step for us is to take this mission to heart and add to our family through the blessings of adoption. But that's barely making a dent. I read a startlingly statistic yesterday "If 7% of Christians adopted 1 child there would be no orphans in the world". Wow. That statement takes my breath away. I'm still struck by that.

But back to the story of the Starfish Home. I think the bottom line fact of what reduces me to tears is the fact that Amanda has given her LIFE for the cause of a medically needy child that has no one to call their own. Her path has to be difficult, it would have to be but yet she lives it day in and day out.

All of that to say, if you are looking for a worthy cause to donate to - this is it. We already sponsor one child through her program but lately my heart has been tugged to give money towards the needed surgeries for the children there.

http://www.chinesestarfish.org/

http://www.chinesestarfish.blogspot.com/