As Watermark begins a journey of discovering and responding to God’s calling on His people to care for orphans and other vulnerable children, we’re taking a few weeks to blog about some key issues and statistics from our city of Hong Kong.
“Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.” – Psalm 127:3-5 (NIV).
God tells us that children are a heritage, or inheritance, from Him. They are a gift! Sadly, so many of these precious gifts from God are languishing in the system of institutional care across Hong Kong. We use the word ‘languish’ because of the reality that group homes or orphanages are not the place for children to flourish. In ancient times, the care of orphans was seen as the responsibility of families and the communities around them. Orphaned children were brought in and raised like any other child. However, throughout the centuries, the rise of orphanages gave rise to a drastically different approach. While this system of institutionalised care was efficient in providing food, shelter, and material sustenance to large numbers, it would be clearly deficient in nourishing the mental, emotional, and spiritual health of the children, and there is no question that those are crucial dimensions of a person’s wellbeing. So as we wrestle with this issue, let us remember that every child needs a safe, loving, and permanent family. Vulnerable children are a heritage to be stewarded, not an issue to be dealt with.