August! – my Birthday Month!   (A-hem) years ago, I was named ‘Dawn Ellen Bean’.  It came to me one day, though, that even though I thought of myself as just ‘Dawn’  – not everyone else did.  My older relatives called me ‘Dawn Ellen’.  I would hear people say, “Oh, that’s Lewis and Freda’s daughter” – or, “that’s Diane’s (Dana’s or Danny’s) sister” – or, ‘the music teacher in Room 8B’, – ‘Geoff, Todd’s or Jonathan’s Mum’ – Mammie to all my very grand children – ‘the speaker for our conference’ – ‘the lady who ‘goes’ to Romania’ – ‘Mama Dawn’ to our orphans, and on and on.  These people did know my name, but at times I got identified otherwise.  I pondered that for some time – even struggled with it a bit.  I just wanted to be ‘Dawn’!

But then this one who does ‘go to Romania’ came to learn that there could be a far greater problem concerning one’s name – and that would be if no one knew your name.  I don’t ‘hear voices’, but my calling to orphans in Romania was as clear as anything can be.  That ‘still, small voice’ whispered to my heart, “Dawn (He knew my name!), I don’t walk the face of this earth physically any longer but if I did, I would be in every orphanage with the abandoned ones whom I created in My image, the ones who are not thought even worthy enough to breathe the air (I created), to eat, to have a place to lie down – who literally are thought of as animals because they have been unwanted and discarded by all blood relatives – and whose caregivers at the orphanages don’t even know their names, those whom I created and love – Dawn, would you, please, go to the Romanian orphanages (that I will show you) and let me love these children through you – and you love them for Me?”

Usually, when one receives the ‘call’ to minister in a second or third world situation, it is to not only proclaim the Good News of Jesus, but also to build a hospital, a school, a work environment for the inhabitants of the country, and other opportunities for self-improvement.  The precious Holy Spirit shared with me ever so clearly that mine was none of the above, but my call was to ‘love’.  Did you ever hear of a ministry where the assignment was simply to ‘love’?  I honestly had to wonder what people would think.  Would that be a good enough calling/assignment for them?  I had my doubts.  But I knew what God had planted in my heart and there was no doubt about that!

Oh, I almost forgot a couple of other names I have.  ‘Down’ or ‘Done’.  The Romanian language doesn’t have the ‘aw’ phonetic sound, so I joke that it’s okay – ‘I am down with done’!  The fact is that (a-hem) years ago, I was given a name.  The fact is so were/are the orphans.  It’s just that no one knows their names.  Can you imagine being – just a ‘being’ – with no identification concerning a name, or otherwise.  We have all had days where we felt insignificant, unappreciated, maybe even worthless, but we were never carried upside down by one leg off to a cleaning station with the worker not even knowing our name.  Nor were we ever considered worthless at 14, 16, 18 years old to have our diaper changed – and not even being called by name.  However, there is One Who most certainly knows all our precious orphans’ names – every one of them!!

‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name . . . ‘  – Isaiah 43.1b

‘Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;’  – Isaiah 49.16

‘He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.’  – John 10.3b

‘because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.’  – Exodus 33.17

And there are more verses concerning our names being known by our Creator.  Oh my, if He knows the names of the billions and billions of stars, of course He knows our names.  ‘He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name!’  – Psalm 147.4   And not only our precious orphans in Romania, but all the orphans of the world God knows  – by name – and knows everything about them all the way to the very core of their being.

I’m so glad God knows my name – knows your name–Psalm 139 knows our names!!

Love From Above is an incredible ministry!  What a privilege it is to be part of it!  And part of the ministry has been my teaching by example – and encouraging those in charge at the orphanages to find out the ‘kids’/babies’ names – and to use it!!  It took years to accomplish that – is still on-going.  But if God knows their names and I am serving Him as His eyes and heart, hands and feet, then most assuredly I want to know their names.  He impressed on my heart that every single soul deserves at least two things:  love and dignity.  A third would certainly be to at least know their names . . .