Welcome to the latest edition of the Nations for Jesus E•Newsetter! This edition includes:
1. The orphans of India2.
2. The foundling girls
3. Hope for the orphans and foundlings
4. Quick links
The orphans of India
Imagine if you will, the terrible pain of being a child and losing the two people you love and trust most in the world—your mother and father. This is what happened to Praveen, a 7-year-old who lost his parents to AIDS, and to Naga Sai, a 10-year-old boy whose parents were killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. I ask you to put yourself in their shoes and think about what these small orphaned boys face each day.
Suddenly alone and destitute, children like Praveen and Naga Sai have nowhere to go. Without anyone to care for, feed, clothe, or protect them, they roam the streets doing whatever they can just to survive—begging, stealing, and being victimized by those who promise a bite to eat in exchange for their innocence. With more than 25 million orphans throughout India, the demise of a child’s parents is often a death sentence for them.
The foundling girls
What is even more distressing is when a child is abandoned to the streets simply because she is a girl. Required to provide a substantial dowry whenever a female child is married, many families see the birth of a daughter as a financial curse, rather than a blessing. This has led to the illegal abortion of an estimated 500,000 female fetuses per year, and the abandonment of countless other little girls.
Can you imagine the utter heartbreak of knowing you are not wanted? Of realizing that your parents threw you away like trash to fend for yourself on the streets?
Whether a child has been orphaned or abandoned, as Christians we understand that every child is precious before God. Each little boy and girl is a person Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross to save. This is why the Lord calls us to be His representatives and: “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 82:3–4).
Hope for the orphans and foundlings
We are to look after those who are vulnerable and powerless—and none are more defenseless than the orphans and foundlings of India. For this reason, Nations for Jesus (NFJ) is working hard to offer to give these children a home and family by establishing church-based Hope Centers. Our goal is to demonstrate to them that they are loved, wanted, and certainly not alone.
Our objective is for each Hope Center to house fifty children and supply them with food, clothing, education, healthcare, and spiritual development so that they will have a safe, loving environment to grow physically, intellectually, and spiritually—leading them to become self-reliant adults.
Through NFJ’s Hope Centers, orphaned children like Praveen and Naga Sai have a place to live and people to care for them. And foundling girls are being shown that they are worthy of love, respect, and dignity. In fact, NFJ is currently building a Hope Center specifically for girls in India to address the ever-growing need.
I hope you will join us in showing these children that Jesus Christ loves them, they’re wanted, and that they’re not alone. Please prayerfully consider your role in helping NFJ—whether that is as a prayer partner, through a donation, or by recruiting others to support the ministry. The doors are open wide to make a difference in the lives of these orphans. Thank you so much for helping us alleviate the suffering of the children in India.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ratna Sajja
President
www.nationsforjesus.org
P.S. Thank you for supporting NFJ. Our first challenge in constructing this Hope Center for foundling girls in India is to raise $45,000 for the initial phase of building. We are grateful for your faithful prayers as this progresses.
