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| Some of the original orphans who grew up in Child Hope homes and are now in college and graduate school |
Behind every great adventure for the Kingdom of God is a
great story. I want to share with you how the opportunity to bring Christian books
to Nepal became a reality.
Ever had a divine meeting with someone? You will read about
one here—one God orchestrated that I could not have imagined ahead of time.
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| Lorilyn Roberts Colorado Springs 2012 |
Two years ago, I made a trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado,
for the annual picnic hosted by Hope’s Promise, the adoption agency I worked
through for the adoptions of both of my daughters. Jennifer LeBeau, the social
worker who had helped me with my adoption of Joy from Vietnam, was retiring,
and I wanted to finally meet her and thank her for all her encouragement and prayers
when I was in Vietnam. We had actually never had an opportunity to visit any of
the folks at Hope’s Promise, and I felt God leading me to “splurge” and make
the trip.
The night after our arrival in Colorado Springs, unbeknownst
to me, Joy uploaded a picture of us to Facebook and labeled our location as
Colorado Springs. Silas, who had helped me with my adoption of Manisha from
Nepal (before Joy’s adoption from Vietnam), saw the post and contacted me
through Facebook. He lives in California and happened to be in Colorado Springs
at the same time for a pastor’s meeting. We had not seen each other in over a
decade, and the opportunity to connect in Colorado Springs was quite a delightful
surprise to both of us. Little did I know this was a divine appointment. Only
because of the Facebook post of a photo was the connection made. However, what
happened at our luncheon the next day was even more amazing.
As we sat and chatted over lunch in downtown Colorado
Springs, Silas lamented, “You know, what we really need for the orphans are
Christian books. They have Bibles to read, but no Christian books.”
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| Silas with Lorilyn Roberts' daughters in Colorado Springs 2012 |
Silas had no idea I lead a network of over three hundred
Christian authors from all over the world. I stared at him and said, without
missing a beat, “I can make that happen. I lead a network of Christian authors,
and I believe many of them would jump at the opportunity to donate books to
start a Christian library in Kathmandu.” As we discussed the idea, we both agreed
we would need to start small and grow the idea as more Christians caught on to
the vision we had.
We decided to plan a trip specifically dedicated to this
project. I would travel with a team from Child Hope International. From that
meeting two years ago, the dream is finally being realized. Our goal for the
trip in October is to take three hundred books to Nepal.
To explain a little about Child Hope International, Silas
Khadka is the executive director of the organization. I met Silas when I
traveled to Nepal to adopt Manisha. She was three at the time I adopted her.
Silas was working with Hope’s Promise, the adoption agency I worked through, to
place orphans in Christian homes in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
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| 1994 Lorilyn in Nepal when she adopted Manisha (3 years old) |
The process of adopting from Nepal is riddled with delays
and uncertainty. My adoption was actually the last one Silas did
internationally. Later, he and his wife, Bhakti, came up with the idea of
intra-national adoption. They began to adopt abandoned children, and as God began
to raise up Christian families in Nepal, Silas and Bhakti found other couples
who were also willing to adopt orphaned children in-country. They soon
developed a program to train and support families in welcoming abandoned
children into their homes. Eventually their ministry grew into Child Hope
International.
Today Silas and his wife and two sons live in San Jose,
California, traveling to Nepal a couple of times each year to encourage the
families and children supported by CHI.
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| Orphans who have been adopted into one of the 23 Child Hope International homes |
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| 1994, I took this photo of them |
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| Orphans who have been adopted into one of the 23 Child Hope International Homes |
The books we will be taking to Nepal in October will be
shared among the twenty-plus homes where over two hundred abandoned children
have been adopted. The books will be used to help the children with learning English,
reading, and writing. The books will also encourage the children in their faith
and walk with God.
Silas is a former pastor of a church in Kathmandu and the
church has property on which to build a Christian library. A library would
benefit not only the orphaned children, but college students from the
University of Kathmandu would be able to enjoy the benefits as well. We also
envision pastors in Nepal being able to check out scholarly Christian books
from the library, enabling leaders to grow spiritually without having to travel
abroad. With access to great Christian classics and new books by John 3:16
authors, we can make an impact on an entire nation—I truly believe we can make
a difference in the lives of many abandoned children.
The best-selling author of the Left Behind Series, Jerry Jenkins, who is a member of the John 3:16
Marketing Network, has offered to donate one copy of every book he has written.
Donated books by John 3:16 authors are already arriving in my mailbox.
I plan to leave for Nepal on October 17 (which happens to be
my birthday) and return home on October 27. If you would like to contribute
financially, we will be taking donations.
I will be offering a personalized signed edition of my book,
Children of Dreams, an Adoption Memoir,
for donations of $34.99 or more. All donations will go toward the “Nepali Library
Project.”
Most important of all, please pray for Silas and myself, as
well as the others on the team who will be traveling with us—that all the
details will be worked out as God leads.
I believe God has given the John 3:16 Marketing Network a
unique opportunity, through Child Hope International to enrich the lives of an
entire country with Godly books—Christian worldview books that will touch the
heart and soul of the nation one orphan at a time.
Recently someone told me that Nepal is the fastest growing
country in the world for Jesus—faster than China! In a country that is poor and
trapped in the dark religion of Hinduism, the fields are ripe for a great
harvest. I pray that you have caught the vision for what we can do to make a
difference in the lives of many abandoned children. Please join with us in bringing
books to Nepal. We can bless young minds with the knowledge of Jesus Christ—and
stir hearts with good ole fashion stories meant for pure enjoyment.
*~*~*~*
If you would like more information about the trip in October and/or would like to make a donation, please click here.
The most important part of this opportunity is to pray for the team and me in particular. I (Lorilyn Roberts) would really appreciate your prayers.
