Saturday, October 10, 2009

Please Pray for "Pavel"*

On Thursday, one of our students left school.  “Pavel” is an orphan from a nearby village.  He has a Christian testimony and is a very kind, bright, and thoughtful young man.  He loved Jude and always wanted to play with him or bring him treats.  He even gave Jude a stuffed Pooh toy that an American missionary gave him when he was small.  We knew it must have been special to him for him to have held onto it this long and brought it to school with him, but he insisted on giving it to Jude.

“Pavel” had never been required to have self-discipline and had never learned the necessary study skills required to be a student at the Bible Institute.  Although the entire staff attempted to help him, he remained too intimidated by the workload to continue his studies.

Please pray that the Lord would be merciful to “Pavel” and would mature him into a Godly man with a purposeful life.  Pray also for “Pavel’s” younger sisters, ages 12, 16, and 18—that they would be saved (if they are not already, I don’t know) and that they would grow to be Godly women.

According to our Romanian tutor, who works a lot with school-aged children at the orphanage in Orhei, “Pavel’s” problem is not unlike the plight of most orphans here.  After graduating from the orphanage at 15 or 16, many tend to drift along without any roots, self-discipline, or purpose.  They know nothing but living on the charity of others (for better or for worse), and are often quick to take advantage of it.

Approximately 80% of girls who graduate from orphanages in Moldova will become prostitutes.  Sometimes they choose it, and sometimes they are promised a good job in a nearby country (waitressing, cleaning, etc.) and arrive only to find out they have been sold into sex slavery.  The same percentage of boys will end up in juvenile detention centers or prison.

Pray for these kids, that the Father of the fatherless would be their comforter and refuge.  Also, consider how the Lord would have you to tangibly affect the lives of the fatherless.  Would you give money so that they could have food, shelter, or Christmas presents?  Would you give your time to mentor a young person in your area with an absent mother or father?  Would you, through adoption, show a child the same unconditional love that the heavenly Father has shown you by making him or her your son or daughter forever?

*We have changed his name to protect him

1 comment:

  1. Praying for Pavel and the many others....

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