Hello, I'm Allyson
Lover of the Lord, laughter, adventure, orphan care, photography, books, mornings, tea, & ice cream. This is my story written by my Savior.
Well, since this is the first blog post, I guess an introduction is in order (much of this may or may not just be copied and pasted from the about me section, so if it sounds familiar, that's probably why). So hello, I'm Allyson. If you're reading this blog, there's probably a 99.99% chance you already know me because I don't think there would be another reason for you to be reading this, but if by some chance we haven't met yet, then you should introduce yourself to me in the comments, and we can be friends (I like friends :) ).
A little bit more about me:
I've been saved by grace, adopted by Love, and transformed by mercy.
I'm belovedbecause of the Beloved, and I've been brokenfor the least of these.
In 2011, I spent a week serving in Luoyang, China, at Maria’s Big House of Hope, an orphanage that is home to more than one hundred special-needs children under the age of five. Before that trip, I hadn’t given much thought to the plight of orphans – orphans and their problems seemed too far away and impersonal to really affect me. However, as I played with these children, held them, and loved them, mind-boggling numbers and statistics were gradually translated into achingly real faces and names. On this trip, I got a glimpse of my Father's heart for orphans, and it broke my own heart into a million pieces. My broken heart grew into a fiery passion for orphan care and adoption, and I came home with a God-given vision to be a voice for these children. They are the motivation behind my decision to pursue a degree in business at the University of Southern California (fight on!), and it is my hope to one day start a business that can be used to bring orphans home to families of their own.
Orphan care is something that is near and dear to my heart because over and over again I'm reminded of how God, in His incredible love and mercy, reached down and adopted ME. I was broken, messed up, covered in filth and sin, and yet, He still graciously chose to love me and make me His daughter. Is that not the most precious gift we could ever receive? And now, because of this gift that He has given me, given us, we have an obligation, a duty, to share this gift with others. What breaks my heart is that these children are not only physical orphans, but they are spiritual orphans as well. They are alone, forgotten, abused, starving, sick, lost, hopeless. They have no one to take care of them, no one to love them, no one to give them hope. After seeing my Father's heart for these children, I have determined that I will allow Him to use me to be His hands and feet to show these children the loving heart of my, and their, Heavenly Father because how else can God's love be shown to orphans unless we, the body of Christ, go out to serve them?
So for the past couple of years, I've been feeling a nudge to spend an extended amount of time in a different country to care for orphans, and this summer, I'll be answering that call. From June to August, I'll be embarking on a new adventure as an intern with Livada Orphan Care (a Romanian orphan charity/nonprofit) and heading to Targu Mures, Romania to serve and love on the kiddos there. This blog is going to be a little space where I'll be sharing the raw, beautiful lessons that I know my Father is going to so graciously teach me this summer, and you're more than welcomed to join me on this crazy adventure in Romania. It's going to be quite the ride, and your prayers will be so greatly coveted as I prepare for and embark on this journey. Only one more week until takeoff! Goodness, God is going to do some incredible things in Romania, and I'm so excited to see what He has in store.
"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans." ~ Isaiah 1:17