God Hears and Sees

Many of our orphans, widows, and other forgotten people in India and Rwanda can relate to the sorrows of Hagar in the Old Testament. Life has not turned out as they dreamed. For many, it’s been more of a nightmare. Like Hagar, people have treated them as though they had no feelings, to be used and thrown away. For Hagar, she was given, like a piece of jewelry, as a gift to a foreign couple. For our orphans, they also were seen as burdens to be avoided or objects to be exploited.

When Sarah, in her mid-seventies, thought that she’d never bear an heir for Abraham, she employed a custom of that time, in which a servant could bear a child for you. After Hagar became pregnant, Sarah began to mistreat her. One night Hagar couldn’t take it anymore and ran away. Out in the desert, God confronted her and told her to return to Sarah. God told her to name her boy Ishmael (which means God hears) to remind her that the Lord was aware and had “HEARD her misery.” In response, Hagar “gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who SEES me.’” (Genesis 16:11, 13)  

In like manner, God HEARS and SEES the cries of these “overlooked” people in India and Rwanda. He knows the disappointments and hardships they face. God has moved the hearts of our partners to tell them that Jesus values them, loves them, and HEARS and SEES them. As a result, God has raised up Apple of His Eye Charity and other non-profits to give these orphans and widows and other forgotten ones, hope. Thank you for participating with us in this endeavor.

Marlon Furtado