James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
The year was 1950 and a middle age American couple was stationed in Canada. He was an Immigration Officer and she was an Occupational Therapist working with polio children in iron lungs. They had just been given the devastating news that after numerous miscarriages, they were not going to be able to have a child by natural childbirth. As strong Methodists they visited their pastor and he prayed with them. They came to the conclusion that there was a child that needed them as much as the needed a child and adoption processes were started. When the time came for the final step of adopting an abused and neglected little boy who had stolen their hearts, the caseworker commented “It is such a shame we have to break up a brother and sister team for this adoption.” It took one evening of prayer for this couple to return to the agency and adopt the sister! It was this step of faith by this couple and prayer that saved two children and gave them a safe Christian home to grow up in. And, I, June, was the God’s girl child picked by this couple!
Fast forward to the year 2009 when I was retiring from the University of Florida. I wanted to do something with my time but did not know what. On a mission trip to Lagos, Nigeria, Africa with Trinity, another pilgrim came up to me and asked me if I had ever considered becoming a Guardian Ad Litem (an advocate for abandoned, abused or neglected children). I investigated, prayed for guidance and now 5 years later through the court system I work with children who feel the world is against them. I use my faith, prayer and experiences to help them in their journeys and together we survive and mostly succeed.
I am proud of my church, Trinity United Methodist Church for reaching out to the widows or elderly through visitations to the local hospitals and nursing homes. Seeing their faces light up when we arrive with a cup of flowers and a smile makes me wish I could visit more.
The missions I have been on in Mexico (worked on girl’s orphanage building and mingled with them), Nicaragua (drilled well and educated women and children to health practices) and Haiti (treated 500 school age children’s teeth with fluoride) all lead to changing lives around the world. These are just trips I participated in. The church family “adopts” African children to make life better for them and their families.
And now with the “Free-To Change the World” campaign locally another step is making us responsible to those less fortunate than ourselves. God bless.(June Masters)
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