Clouds of Hope

This week's BDC will be written by various young adults who went to the Clouds of Hope Orphanage this past weekend... Today's is written by Edgar Vergara.

FOCUS TEXT

Romans 5:1-8

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

DAILY BYTE

This past Friday a group of 21 young adults from Manning Road Methodist Church embarked themselves on a mission weekend to Clouds of Hope Orphanage in Underberg, South Africa. Those of us who attended this event were richly blessed. God surprised us in wonderful ways. Our hope as a group is to share with you the many blessings that we received from God through the Clouds of Hope children and caregivers as well as through each other.

Clouds of Hope is a place where God’s love is so evident and where God’s grace overflows. It is a place that welcomes children from all ages who have been orphaned as the result of HIV and AIDS. The children who live at Clouds of Hope have experienced so much suffering and pain. Yet, God’s love is so evident in their lives. Those of us who had the blessing of spending the weekend with these children can sincerely say that we were deeply touched by the sincere way in which these children express love.

Personally, I was blessed to see hope in the eyes of many of the children. As we shared Bible lessons with the children, as we played with them, as we sang and danced with them, we received much more than what we gave. The hope and love that these children shared with us blessed us greatly. But, how can children who have suffered so much, who have been abandoned and who have lost all they held dear, still hope? They hope because their hope is not the hope that this world has to offer. They hope because their hope flows from the heart of God. The hope that fills their life is the hope that God gives us through Jesus Christ, and that hope does not disappoint. It is God’s love that has been poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit that fills their lives. The suffering that these wonderful children have experienced has produced in them the character of Christ and true hope has resulted from this process. It is this love that you and I must long for. It is this love that we must abide in and take refuge in. We must understand that suffering is part of this life. It is through suffering that God allows us to endure and it is through suffering that the character of Christ develops within us. It is Jesus Christ who is our hope, and that hope does not disappoint.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Father, we praise you for Jesus Christ who is our hope. We ask you to help us endure the suffering that we find in this world. May the difficult situations that we go through produce the character of Jesus Christ within us and may he truly be our hope. Father, allow us to share true hope with those around us. We also pray for your forgiveness. Forgive us father for not hearing the voice for those who are in need. We especially pray for Clouds of Hope Orphanage, for the children and their caregivers. We pray for your provision over them. Father, pour your love in our hearts through your Holy Spirit. May your love be what defines who we are. Amen.