We have felt the Lord today!! Everything at Agape can best be described as giving and then receiving. You give a kiss, you receive one. You scratch a back, you receive that in return. You laugh, you receive a giggle. Today was our first day to work the night shift from 4-8:30. I wish each one of you could come and work one of these shifts with us. We played outside with the kids until dinner. At dinner we ate a great meal (potatoes and roast) and then went upstairs and they kids took showers! When they got out, they got to play until it was time to take their medicine. Kids are so funny after showers. It reminds me of my childhood! They become monkeys. The room was filled with joy. Clean joy!
Taylor and Kirstyn went over to the boys side of the orphanage and played with them for a while. They were really touched by how sweet all of the boys were. There are less boys than girls at the orphanage. They were all sitting in a big room playing with puzzles. When Kirstyn and Taylor were in there, the boys were smiling from ear to ear and just wanting to sit close to them. The girls on the other side were ironing, braiding hair (they braided Taylor’s hair and she looked like a dinosaur), and doing homework. Before bed everyone went downstairs for worship, led by one of the older girls. During worship, one of the younger girls raised her arm the whole time we were singing. And during one of the prayers, the little girl next to me said her own prayer quietly(holding my hand). Then one of the nannies gave a devotion. It was of course in Thai, but it was one of the most powerful moments for us. We were all sitting together, holding hands and scratching backs. The kids were giggly and smiling. It was such a perfect moment. We were so humbled by their intense joy. With that comes another emotion which is confusion. We are all in the state of being completely taken by their happiness and also the confusion of why they ended up with their circumstances. We went upstairs to tuck them in and of course we were so touched that it was hard not to cry. A little girl that I tucked in took a blanket and rolled it long ways. She laid up against it almost like it was a person. She would not let me leave till we had given each other a kiss on the cheek and she said in her sweet thai accent, “See you tomorrow!” It will be hard when that statement can’t be said. Until then, our job rocks. Loving kids until it hurts and getting that back a billion times stronger.
It is phenomenal how powerful it has already been for us. For every snot landed on us, every conversation that goes nowhere because we cant understand each other, and every nit(lice) spotted, it is 100% worth it. It is worth it because it is received with the unbelievable power of their smiles.
No pictures for today. Just a lot of words that cannot describe this experience.
I'm speechless! I miss all of you so much, but not because you are not here, but because I am not there. Thank you for allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through you and to help us understand Agape. And thank you for letting your bountiful love overflow onto all of us who watch in amazement. The exciting thing is that as intensely spiritual as this has been so far, you have only scratched the surface. Feel our prayers and know that God is using you on both sides of His world.
ReplyDeletePS You three are sounding like natives already!