Guest: Mrs. Stephanie Fast
Did you know that there are more than 16 million orphans in the world? Seeing kids on the streets is not an everyday sight for those of us in the U.S., so it can be too easy to forget that they're out there. Hear the story of one Korean War orphan whose life was changed by the love of God and her adoptive parents. Abandoned at the age of four to wander the war-torn Korean countryside, Stephanie Fast has a remarkable story of survival. She was persecuted and tortured because of her bi-racial ethnicity. Abused on the city streets and finally discarded and left to die in a garbage dump, Stephanie was miraculously rescued by a World Vision nurse. A few years later, a childless missionary couple visited a World Vision orphanage and met Stephanie, who was covered with boils and dirt, lice infected, worm ridden and cross-eyed from malnutrition. Stephanie was so dead emotionally that she rejected compassionate love. However, this missionary couple heard God speak to their hearts, "She is the one for you¶" The Merwins obeyed and adopted Stephanie. Despite the rich, healing love her adoptive parents poured into her , Stephanie's past tormented her throughout her teens. A deeply personal encounter with Jesus Christ enabled her to exchange her pain with Him at the cross, and see her identity and purpose in the light of God's love. Miracles happen. Stephanie's story proves that the God of the universe intervenes in the lives of individuals. Using her story, Stephanie touches on the depths of sin , shame , guilt and lack of trust that inhibit our ability to receive the supernatural gift of God's love. When we choose to establish ourselves in Christ, all things become new. We see ourselves as His treasure and ultimately extend that value to those around us.