“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world…” -James

Life in an orphanage is about survival. No matter how kind are your caretakers, in the orphanage there are orphans and they are alone with themselves and the unions they form for protection. It isn’t unlike the unions of prison life. You are tied together not in love so much as in the need for security. Why is it an outsider is surprised to be met with suspicion rather than wild acceptance. Here I am the greatest threat of all… I bring with me the plague of false hope.

Not all hope is false. When I traveled with some Korean/American friends last week I witnessed true love and hope. Men and women were not just admiring. They were genuinely caring. This one woman from California cried real tears over these young ones she prayed for.