Confession time.
I've squandered opportunities on the Race. I have. You think before you leave that you will take advantage of every opportunity, every chance, every situation. But honestly, it's very easy not to.
2 years ago, God showed me a picture of where my life is heading. One Sunday morning I was just sitting in church, minding my own business, when I saw myself sitting with a bunch of children in a jungle. And I knew they were orphans. And I knew it was in Chile. And I knew I am supposed to go there.
Fastforward to January 2012, and I've just been accepted on the World Race. I'm getting ready to go out into the world for 11 months. And I'm not going to Chile. I'm not even going to South America. God made it very clear that I wasn't supposed to go there yet. But I'm excited to be going out into the world, to share love with children wherever I go.
Fastforward to October, 2012. It's my squad's first month in Africa, and my team and I are working with an orphanage in Kitale, Kenya. And I love every second of it. As soon as we got there, I felt at home. I felt at peace. I was doing what I was created to do.
Our contact, Judith, is an amazing woman. She started the orphanage on her front step with just a couple of kids, and now they take care of over 80 children. She was an abundance of knowledge and wisdom. And I didn't ask any questions. I didn't tell her I feel called to work with orphans in Chile. I just went through the month, and came out the other side ready for the next thing.
I didn't stop to thank God for the opportunity to learn from someone who was doing what I want to eventually do. I didn't even really ask the whole story of how the home got to what it was. I squandered, big time.
Fastforward to right now. February 2013. My team and I have just arrived in Mumbai, India, where we are working with an organization that runs an orphanage and a children's center. They minister to children who are orphaned, HIV+, or born out of prostitution. Our contact Manoj started these ministries in 2005, and is hoping to build a Hope Center within the next 5 years to minister to even more people.
I'm supposed to work with orphans. And in Kenya, I didn't take time to learn from someone who could have taught me so much. And now here I am, at another orphanage, with another person full of wisdom to pass on to me. And I'm not going to take it for granted this time. I'm not going to let another month pass where I don't take hold of every opportunity I am given. These kids have already stolen my heart, and I am sure I'll leave a big piece of it here with them.
(photo credit to Ali Kendrick)
