A few years ago a group of women came to speak to our church about Strong Tower Orphanage. Because I knew some of these women personally, I also knew that they were speaking from the heart. As if there could be any doubt! They told us of challenges and celebrations, of being heart-warmed and sometimes heart-broken. With every word and every story, you could see the love and excitement on their faces.
I’m a sucker for a good story and often find myself wanting to volunteer on the spot or do a fundraiser or give money. I have to hold back and think about it the next day in order to check my heart to see if it really is something I want to be involved in. Most times I realize that I simply can’t take on another project or mission. I have already chosen things that are important to me and stretching myself thin won’t help anyone.
But this time I kept remembering the faces and voices of the ladies that night. Even more, I kept remembering the faces of those little girls at the orphanage. So many times our heartstrings are tugged with pictures of sadness, dejection, poverty and abuse. Not with these little girls! They were so happy! They had so little but were so delighted with what they did have. I have three daughters and three granddaughters, which might have caused this to hit home too. My heart told me this was something I wanted to be involved in.
It takes so little on our part to make a big difference in the lives of the girls at the Strong Tower Orphanage. Not only that but it boils over into the surrounding area. We saw pictures of kids that were just dancing with excitement to go to Vacation Bible School. They are learning good things and loving every minute of it.
My future goal is to someday make a trip there myself. That may not happen but who knows? In the mean time, I give a small amount every month to be used as needed. I want to be part of the reason that those little girls smile. I truly thank God for the work being done there.