What I know of love

Today, January 9, is my birthday and I am 50 years old. This is the year of my Jubilee. This year I turn a page, turn a corner. I am halfway to one hundred. Halfway through. Halfway Home.

As my birthday approached I knew I wanted it to be something that would not make me think about how old I am or young I am not. I wanted my year of Jubilee to be something bigger than the subject of years counted. Bigger than me.

I didn't have to look very hard to find what my heart was searching for. Oasis Haven is an organization in Johannesburg, South Africa whose passion is to rescue abandoned children and place them into forever families. It is not an orphange. It is a place that leads to home. They take in abandoned little ones who literally have no one and nothing. Most of them are HIV positive. Most have expereienced more upheaval, pain and trauma than you and I will see in a lifetime.

A year of Jubilee is a time to celebrate yes, but in biblical times it was a time to set aside, to cease doing one thing and do something else. In this year of my Jubilee I want to set aside my personal desires to raise funds so the children at Oasis can have the therapies they need to overcome the hardest of obstacles. These little ones need everything from psychological therapy to deal with grief and abandonment issues to occupational therapy to play therapy. Some of them have never had the luxury of play or even of dreaming of the future. (see the video at right. . .)

I will settle for raising $5,000 but wouldn't it be great if you and I together could raise $50,000 over the next 12 months? Check out the Oasis Haven website (just click on my yellow house logo at right) and see for yourself the need and the opportunity we have to meet it.

God's heart is bent toward the orphan. And actually, caring for orphans is more than just an opportunity; it is our responsibility - and the evidence of our faith. (James 1:27). We can't all adopt an orphan, but we can rescue them from the streets and dumps. We can care for their bodies and souls. We can restore joy to them while they await placement into forever families. We can do this. We must do this.

It's all I want for my birthday.

Here's the link for the donations page. (When you give, write "Jubilee for JoBurg" in the memo line or write /Jubilee for JoBurg after your name if you use the online giving option. You can also send your donation here: Oasis Haven US, P.O. Box 28362, San Diego, CA 92198.

Join me on the Jubilee journey! Come back to this blog often for updates, stories, and pictures! Email me if you have any questions at susan [at] susanlmeissner [dot] com.