The Orphans of Russia

Russia?, you say? How did we get on the subject of Russia?

Today in church, a missionary visited to share his vision with our church. His name is Mark Broberg and he is involved in ministry to the orphans and street children in St. Petersburg, Russia. He talked about how the people of this nation have been lied to for years and now all they want is truth. He shared that in Russia, the government only allows them to keep the children in the orphanages until age 15 at which time they are expected to go out on their own to earn a living. Unfortunately, the government also gives the orphans papers that state they are retarded, which then marks them as unemployable. The girls end up earning their living through prostitution and the boys through crime. It was discovered that over 90% of the girls were dead or missing by age 18. Now Mark's ministry has started transitional homes to cover this several year period and help to teach these young adults working skills.

Next, Mark showed a video. With Steve Camp's song playing in the background, I saw it bring tears to Shannon's eyes and cause us both to want to be in Tanzania right now. We are well aware that there are children that we will serve there, that are needing us right now, as much as they will when we finally get there. Please pray for those children as well as children and adults all over the world that are hungry or homeless today.

Here are the words to the song.

Don't Tell Them Jesus Loves Them by Steve Camp

Oh suffering soul, crying out for love
In a world that seldom cares
See the hungry heart
Longing to be filled
Much more than our prayers
And a young girls sells herself on Seventh Avenue
And you hear her crying out for help,
"My God, what will we do?"

Chorus:
Don't tell them Jesus loves them, till you're ready to love them too
Till your heart breaks from the sorrow, and the pain they're going through
With a life full of compassion, may we do what we must do
Don't tell them Jesus loves them, till you're ready to love them too

Oh, the desperate man
Are we reaching for the souls that are sinking down in sin?
Oh, cry for the child
We've lost our passion for the lost, and there are billions left to win
And another forty thousand children starve to death today
Would we risk all we have to see what of them say

Chorus

Why have we waited so long to show them Jesus lives
To share salvation's song
Why have our hearts become so proud that we fail to see
To love them is to love God
And a young girl sells herself on Seventh Avenue
Hear her crying out for help,
"What will we do?"

Chorus

1988 Birdwing Music(ASCAP)/Sparrow Song(BMI)