Kelvin Musole's big question

My Big Question is: why are there so many orphaned children? UNICEF estimates that there are approximately 145 million orphaned children in the world! That is crazy! why? and what is my role in that? These are my big questions?

Kelvin also has some big questions.

Recently, Richard and I hosted abougt 10 of our college sponsored kids at the farm for 10 days while they did their volunteer work for ZMF-C. (education is not free!). We shared some meals together and devos every night.

One devo activity I did with these ever so progressive thinking and hopeful young adults is to ask them to think carefully and write down what they consider their "big questions in life".

Many interesting questions were tackled including "who will be the right mate for me?" (college kids!!)

Kelvin's question: Why is it so hard for some people to get what they want in life and for other everything just seems to come their way?

I think my question and Kelvin's are somewhat similar. Maybe. Both Kelvin's parents were killed in an auto accident when he was 6 years old. He has one young brother and not many other close relatives. He grew up at Zyangale village area and performed VERY well at Basic school and so was chosen to be in the ZMF-C sponsorship program. He also did well at Zimba High School so was accepted into Evelyn Hone College.

Now, Kelvin is studying Library Technology and there are still many obstacles. For the first term of 2100 Kelvin found that he was among 7,000 pupils at the college and only 2,000 get accomodation. So...what does a village kid do? He becomes a squatter. But....because of so many squatters he managed only to be able to store his luggage in a kid's room and slept most of the term on the floors of the school classrooms. And he had to pay K250,000 just to store his luggage! He was so distraught - he asked me to come with him to school for the start of this term to plead on his behalf to administration so that he can at least have a 1/2 bed to sleep on. (kids here have twin size mattresses and share with others!)

Richard and I have 4 adult children who have all gone through college of some kind. None have ever had to sleep on the classroom floor, or even worry about if they could go, thanks to the gov't of Sask and Canada and mom and dad.
We are blessed, they are blessed - our country is blessed!

So...Kelvin's question? WHY does it come so easy for Tiffany, ....and not for Kelvin? Why is she not an orphan who has fallen through the huge cracks (caverns) and has to struggle every day???? Somehow, its not fair for Kelvin at all.

The answer as far as I can see is that we live in a fallen world. Because of that, children suffer - all mankind suffers actually. Our own children are not exempt, although life looks pretty easy for them compared to Kelvin.

Life in North America and other developed areas of the world appears "satisfied" and " okay" on the surface - but there isn't a week that doesn't go by that I hear of someone who has died of cancer or someone is acting fairly stupid and leaving their family for another "love" of their life. I worked as a mental health nurse for 37 years and our ward was never empty - not even at Christmas. People feel sad and empty and suicidal - from all walks of life - doctors, lawyers, singers, politicians.

I think its important to look at the big picture. Ask the questions, come up with your own answers - but mine is that I need to know where I am, where I am going and how I'm getting there and to make a difference along the way.

Jesus - our Saviour did not plan for everyone to suffer - choices have been made and are still being made.