Change

 Everything seems to change; for better, for worse, or without any obvious impact. From small changes that are almost imperceptible, like the seconds and moments that age us, to highly visible, cataclysmic events that change the world. Everything seems to change.

Just here in the United States, there are more than 360 million souls whose lives change every day, bit by bit or all at once. Across the globe, that number is billions. Billions of changes every single day. Children are born. People die. Wars are started. Wars are ended. Someone gets a new job. Someone loses their job.  New businesses start and others fail. Everything seems to change.

As most of you probably know, one such change occurred for all of us here at OLI. We lost our President and co-founder, Dave Board, to cancer. He also happens to be my dad, and a family member or friend to everyone here. This was most certainly an unwelcome change.

I have walked the same path from my vehicle to the front door of our office every day for two decades. That hasn’t changed. On the way in, I pass by the office of Tim Murphy, a long-time team member at OLI. In front of Tim’s desk is a chair. Over the past 20 years, on most days, as I would pass by that window, I would see Dave, sitting in that chair, sipping his morning coffee and chatting with Tim. Now that chair sits empty.

From my own desk, I would hear his infectious laughter, assuming that he had once again recycled some old joke. Now, that laughter is absent from every morning. 

Even now I find myself waiting for his heavy footsteps as he approaches, then passes by my office on the way to his own. But now, the hallway remains silent. The chair behind his desk sits empty. His computer screen is dark and he will never login again. Nobody wants to put the computer away. But his legacy lives on in this good work and in the lives of the many thousands of orphans we have helped. That will never change.

Not everything changes. Some things remain the same. And of those things that remain unchanged, is that in life, there is a seemingly equal mix of good and bad. 

For us at OLI, one thing that hasn’t changed and never will, is that man’s sin and the inherent nature of life, continues to produce orphans and widows. This,  in turn, results in an ever-growing need for mankind to provide for them, and that is indeed, the very reason this mission was founded and is our privilege and unending task to perform. To God’s glory and by His will. Not everything changes.

Another thing that doesn’t change is God himself, from which all good comes. Evil, sin and its results come in many forms; but He is the one constant that exists as the single source of all things good. From that source comes His church, with His son Jesus as the head and His followers as the body. It is from that body that much good is done, but it is still His good. 

Here at OLI, we have had the privilege of bearing witness to that good for more than 21 years now; and this last year was certainly no exception.

In fact, despite all the challenges this country has faced in the last year, in 2021 we received a record amount of financial gifts from you; and were able to give a record amount of aid to orphans and widows in equal proportion. 

In addition to the thousands of orphans we care for, we began new programs that grew like wildfire. We built 11 homes for Widow/Orphan families in Kenya in partnership with Acts of Charity, a Kenyan Church of Christ charity. Already, some of those families are now sponsored by you, while all are receiving food, clothing, education, medical needs and spiritual instruction. We also have received financial gifts for several more homes as well. These homes are fully furnished and provide safety and basic comfort to these families for the first time in their lives. All to His Glory.

We were also able to help hundreds of orphan/widow families in India who were struggling because of COVID. Hundreds of widows who were sent home from work and had no source of income were given food, hygiene and other assistance this past year so that they could care for themselves and their fatherless children. Some changes are good.

Life is fluid. There are always changes on the horizon and even the horizons change. One such change is how we care for orphan girls in India. There, the government has made it difficult to care for orphan girls because they are requiring completely separate buildings and staff from the boys, effectively doubling the costs of care for orphans in general. Their reasoning behind doing this is to prevent trafficking and potential abuse, but they don’t have any solutions themselves. The unintended consequence of this action is that it has made the girls more vulnerable than ever; and will lead to untold abuse, neglect and even death.

Fortunately, we have a plan…and we have you.

Beginning this year, first in India, we will begin a new focus on providing for girls in orphan/widow families in their homes the way we are in Kenya, which was our pilot program for this model of care. This program will not only provide us a new way to care for the orphan girls, but will also allow the widow to stay at home and care for her children instead of travelling, sometimes hundreds of miles away, leaving her children without care. These girls will attend church and school just like the children in our homes and we are hiring teachers/counselors to provide in-home tutoring and mentoring as well. We are excited to launch this new program in India and know that it will save these innocent young girls from the horrible abuse and neglect they would have been subjected to in their lives. Some changes are good.

Yes, 2021 was most certainly a year of tragedy and challenges for all of us here at OLI. But it was also a year of unprecedented success and growth, both in the gifts you gave and the care we were able to give the orphans and now widows. 

2022 promises to be a year with changes as well; with the expansion of our programs in both scope and scale. We cannot do any of this without you. We are so thankful for each and every one of you that shows God’s love in your own actions; and that thankfulness, I am certain, is one thing that will never change.