We
are at breakfast and everyone’s spirits are much better. God has given us all
renewed spirit to begin the day. We’ve
had our fill of good Ethiopian food and coffee (the best coffee in the world as
they are quick to let us know). Our eyes
are now opened and our hearts are prepared. We’ve been reminded of the woman
who reached out and touched Jesus’ robe as he was walking down the road in the
midst of the crowd. He didn’t ignore her. Instead, he turned around and asked
who touched him. He ministered to her and met her needs. This is to be our role
today. We are to be Christ’s heart and share his love. We are to reach out to
the multitudes and I hope that happens. I am praying for the mind to suffer
hardship today. Whatever comes my way, I submit myself to Christ to do His
will. This day will be hard – I know that but I want to face it with love, with
kindness and with the spirit that Christ would have faced the people he
encountered. Now we are leaving and I will let you know how it all goes!!!!
We
have returned from what I can only say was a wonderful day. We were better prepared and our hearts
were open to whatever happened. Knowing what we were walking into certainly
helped. From the moment we entered the Care Point today I could tell something
was different. We were ready for anything and we were all positive and ready to
go. Our hearts were in the right place and we were not going to be denied the
joy that was waiting for us. Now that is not to say that things changed
overnight. The kids were still the same but our attitudes were different. I know for me I was much more patient today.
I tried to find ways to manage the chaos instead of letting it get the best of
me. And for the most part I’m going to say I did. I had one little boy who kept
calling out to me “Sue One” or was it “One Sue”. At any rate, what he was
asking for was only one picture. I think he tried this strategy a hundred
times. By the end of the day, I was beginning to think that was my name! At one
point, I managed to slip away with one young girl, about ten to take her
picture away from the crowd. A few other girls followed us, but we were a small
group of about five or six. It was so much fun taking their pictures and having
the chance to actually talk to them (as best we could communicate). I actually
got to meet a few of their mothers who were coming to pick them up for lunch
and got a great picture of the whole group. These children have a real “me”
mentality because of their backgrounds and need for survival, but inside they
are really a sweet group of kids. They reach out and want to be loved and
touched, they just want to be sure they are not left out. The concept of
waiting their turn has not yet sunk in, but we have another few days to master
that.
Upon
arrival we sang with them and then they sang for us. That was a really great
moment. I just love to hear them sing. They sing with such joy and when you get
that many kids together they just sound great! After song time Dougie read a
story from the Bible which we proceeded to act out. At first, we couldn’t find
Neda, only to later realize that she had gone to find a gown so she could “out
do” the rest of the team and wear a costume to be the angel. Needless to say, she won the Oscar for the day!
After we did the skit, we brought kids up to the front and they then acted out
the story. This was really a fun time and hopefully they learned something from
the message. Later in the day we taught another lesson with a skit as well and
then brought a different group of kids up for the acting. In between we played
games and had teams of boys vs. girls. The first game was to put a Popsicle
stick in your mouth and balance five dice on it. I was amazed at how good both
teams were at this and how encouraging the rest of the kids were. There is no
telling who actually won; though we are each convinced our respective groups
took first! One of the boys had the five
dice balanced precariously on his stick when I asked him to smile. With a
little smirk he raised the corners of his mouth as if to say, “This is easy.
You got a harder challenge?” The second game involved passing a lifesaver over
a piece of spaghetti. This was again boys vs. girls and the results were the
same. The boys think they were victorious but we really know who won!
After
lunch we went to Shalom, the orphanage where Zebene, the little boy that Doug
and Cristie have adopted, came from. Arrangements had been made ahead of time
for Doug to meet up with Zebene’s birth mother. What an exciting and emotional
time this was. Doug had brought a photo album filled with pictures of Zebene.
He has been in SA for about seven months and so this was the first time she has
seen pictures of him since she said her final goodbye. As soon as she saw the
first picture tears started streaming down her face. Doug took her through the
whole book, explaining that he was doing very well, who his new family was
(brothers and sisters). Then Alex, our guide, translated a letter that Cristie
had written, mother to mother, to her. I don’t know what she said, but I can
only imagine. She was also presented with a picture Zebene had drawn. After
this the rest of the team, except for Doug and Jaimie left to wander the
orphanage. Doug said she went through the photo album again and started kissing
all the pictures of her son that she gave up so he could have a better life. It
was a great moment to watch the two of them together. For her to see her son
was cared for and loved. And for Doug to give her the knowledge that he loved
her son as his own. Cristie, if you are
reading this the entire event was captured on film for your eyes to witness
when we get home! It truly was a blessing in so many ways!
The
orphanage houses forty babies who have been totally abandoned. They were all SO
cute. I was in Photographers heaven! From one face to the next they just got
cuter. There was one little girl, who’s name in English means Hope. Immediately
upon seeing her she stole my heart. She also stole Marie’s! She walked around
the place saying “SEDO” which essentially to our knowledge translates to “sit
down”. This phrase has been a standing joke with our team since arrival so it
was kind of divine to hear this out of the mouth of babes! She was the cutest
thing ever!!!
When
we left Shalom we went back into Warancha and made four home visits, meaning we
actually went into the homes of four children sponsored through the Hopechest.
What a amazing time this was. I love to wander the villages and this was no
different. There is no better way to get a feel for a community than to immerse
oneself in it. We got out in town and just started walking the streets, with
our guides and the Pastor and several other people. All the houses were single
family, either held together by the mothers, or in one case by the
grandparents. One family not only held a
family of six, but also cows and goats. And yes, they all live IN the same
house. As we got out of the bus we were mobbed by the children of the village.
Never were we by ourselves. We were always surrounded by at least 20 additional
children. It was great!!!!
So
as you can see, it was a much better day then yesterday. I was renewed and the
Lord really did great things today. Tomorrow we will go to Warancha in the
morning and then provide lunch for all the children in the afternoon. After
that we plan to sit down with the Pastor and find out what their plans, needs,
etc. are and determine in what ways we can be the most help. In this I will ask
your for your prayers. We want to make sure we are led in the right direction.
I
love you all and miss you. For those who commented on yesterdays blog thanks.
You were the inspiration I needed for today!
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