This month my team has unsung heros for our ministry, which is where we go into different cities looking for ministries that are already established, to hear their stories and see if there is potential for AIM to partner with in the near future. To help our group learn the ropes of Unsung Heros Kaitlyn and Kayla (our squad’s go to people for Unsung Hero) spent the first week with us and briefed us on our objective along with what their teams had done, found useful and didn’t work. One of the ways to find possible ministries is to talk to contacts that the race already has in the area, so Kaitlyn Laura and I decided to visit the YWAM base that is near our hostel. After a series of miss communications we set out almost half an hour late. When we made it to there the YWAM base wasn’t open, so we stopped into the thrift shop right next door to see if they might know when we should check back. Taking advantage of us being at the thrift store Laura figured she would check their selection of jeans (might as well show up to Japan prepared for cold weather :). Kaitlyn and I talked to the shop owner while she browsed, we were in the process of telling him why we are here and he turns to a gentleman who was checking out and said, “ you should talk to Barnabas, Barnabas come over here and meet these ladies”.
Because of a “chance meeting” we were given the opportunity to talk to Barnabas and his wife Esther and learn about there “Crystal Family Home Penang” children’s ministry, and how it started out as a orphanage and now they have 23 children but none of them are orphans. The children that are in the home are children who are in need of a home: for example children who were living with their grandparents who could no longer care for them, or single parent families. They rase the children up in a loving, healthy family environment with structure, guidance, education, nurture and a place to heal in an holistic environment. As there are so many children, they have staff that helps cook, clean, teach, and give the children the individual attention that they need. Although they now live at the home and are part of the Crystal Home family, living like a family complete with bothers, sisters and house hold responsibilities, the children are still a part of their biological family and go back to their homes on holidays.
As I sat on the couch with my cup of tea hearing how God is working in and through the home I got to be a part of the children starting to come back home after being gone for a holiday. I don’t know who was happier they were home, the children who as they walked through the door kissed Esther on the cheek and gave Barnabas a hug as they passed by to go up stairs or Esther and Barnabas who lit up every time one of the children walked through the door and often looked out with anticipation for the next child to come up the driveway. It was such a blessing be sitting on that couch watching Barnabas and Esther be an example of Christ to those children.
A “Chance meeting”? not at all, a meeting perfectly set up by God? absolutely!!!
