A Global Advent: 25 Stories of God With Us Around the WorldSample

Meet Getzemani. She is a resilient teenager from Guatemala who was also once an orphan.

The Bible has a lot to say about orphans. Throughout Scripture, we see verse after verse commanding God’s people to care for widows and orphans. There’s no way you could read the Bible and not conclude that God’s heart is for the vulnerable: the poor, the orphan, and the widow, to name a few.

When Getzemani was abandoned by her mother at 9 years old, the local church became a place of refuge for her when her aunt enrolled her in the Compassion program there.

“I loved hearing about Jesus. It was the first time I heard about Him, and I was amazed at how good He is,” Getzemani says.

For two years, Getzemani moved between foster homes and orphanages. Each time she moved, she tried to ensure she could continue attending the Compassion program. “I prayed so hard that I would find a family who would allow me to keep going to the centre,” she says.

Then one day, news reached Getzemani that she would be adopted—by a retired teacher named Maria. “We were friends since the first time I saw her. I love my mother, Maria,” Getzemani says.

Photo Caption: Getzemani and Maria.

That was three years ago. Today, Getzemani enjoys life with Maria and continues to participate in the Compassion program. She always remembers how the local church has been a constant through the uncertainty of her life. “I love how the centre was there like my real family, supporting me.”

While the Bible has much to say about tangibly caring for orphans, it also has a lot to say about spiritual orphans. The Advent season serves as a reminder that we are no longer spiritual orphans. God has come to be with us, in the person of Jesus, who says in John 14:18, “No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.”

Who can you invite in as spiritual family in this season?