2 May, 2011
Rescuing Orphans
Raven To The Rescue: Ray Lewis Reaches Out To Recently Orphaned Child
Countless Americans heard about La'Shaun Armstrong, the 10-year-old boy orphaned April 12 when his mother drove herself and her four children into the Hudson River.
Countless Americans wanted to do something for the boy, who escaped through a window only to learn his mother and three half-siblings were dead.
All-Pro Baltimore Raven Ray Lewis was one of the very few able and willing to act.
"We are human and to hear that story, as soon as I heard it, I was like, 'I need to find him.'" Lewis told the New York Daily News. "Nobody is supposed to walk through life alone with that, especially being 10 years old."
The legendary linebacker took Armstrong bowling last week, which the boy described as "awesome," and former NFL cornerback Reggie Howard took the Middletown, N.Y. child to buy a suit.
But the help didn't stop there.
While the NFL held its draft only blocks away, Lewis and Howard invited Armstrong and his grandmother to a fundraiser for the United Athletes Foundation, an organization started three years ago to assist athletes and their communities. Armstrong and his grandmother, who is raising him with his father in prison, were put up at the Grand Hyatt and invited to the event by Howard, the foundation's president. The child was given a check and the promise of more help in the future.
Draft weekend always brings optimism and opportunity, but no one needs those things more than La'Shaun Armstrong. And thanks to one of the NFL Draft's all-time success stories, a boy's long and challenging road to adulthood can begin with a sliver of hope.
"I don't want to come into his life for a phase," Lewis told the Daily News. "I want to be in his life forever."
Story and Photo courtesy of news.yahoo.com.
James 1:26-27 (NLT)
26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about reaching out to orphans?
When we think of the word "orphan" we might think of a young child, living in an orphanage, in some other country. But the truth is, we all have orphans living around us in our communities today. An "orphan," according Webster's Dictionary is "a child deprived by death of one or usually both parents." It is estimated that 133 million children, ages birth-17, have lost one or both parents (sos-usa.org). So how should we respond? Check out what the Life Application Study Bible has to say about today's scripture about the church's response ...
In the first century, orphans and widows had very little means of economic support. Unless a family member was willing to care for them, they were reduced to begging, selling themselves as slaves, or starving. By caring for these people, the church put God's Word into practice. When we give with no thought of receiving, we show what it means to truly serve others.
How and who might you "truly serve" this week?
How can I connect today's God's Story scripture to My Life?
- Thank God today for His presence in your life as your Heavenly Father.
- Ask God to give you His heart for orphans and widows.
- Ask God today to show you how you might serve orphans and widows in your own community.
How can I connect Today's Story, My Story, and God's Story to Others?
- Do you know someone who has lost one or both parents? Spend some time with them this week getting to know their story. Consider taking them bowling and talk about Today's Story.
- Talk with your parents or a leader in your church about what you might do to reach out to those in your community who have been orphaned.
- Pray for those in our country who have recently been orphaned by the devasting tornadoes throughout the southeast.
- Talk with a leader in your church about ideas to serve the orphans in other parts of the world as well.
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