It’s been six days since we left Ometepe. I’m not going to lie. This was definitely not the easiest month for
me, and there were definitely times when I prayed for the day we would be able
to leave. So it’s funny that I’m now on
a plane headed to Thailand, and I find myself thinking about the children we
left behind. Those little stinkers stole
a piece of my heart when I wasn’t looking!
There was one boy in particular that captured
both Brad’s heart and mine this past month.
His name is Jimmy. He’s the most
annoying 12-year-old child you have ever met.
He has the attention span of a fruit fly, he needs constant attention,
and he is always in trouble. He’s like
an A.D.D. child on speed! While we were
staying at the orphanage, he would run up to us and slap us in the back of the
heads for no reason at all. Or kick dirt
on one of us. Or grab our shoes and
throw them into the lake. He had just
failed elementary school for the third year in a row, just because of his
behavior. He’s the kind of kid you want
to slip a sedative to and then lock him in a room for a few hours.
And there was something about that boy that I
fell madly in love with. Because I know
that boy. I married that boy! Jimmy is just like Brad was at his age. He craves endless love and attention, but
doesn’t want to ask for it. So he acts
out, because negative attention is still attention. He misbehaves at school and at home because
he is bored. He’s too dang smart for his
own good. He has more energy than he
knows what to do with, so he finds less than constructive channels for that
energy when he isn’t given an outlet.
But that boy has a heart of gold! And Brad and I were lucky enough to get to
see glimpses of that heart when he would let his guard down…even if only for a
moment.
I think the reason Jimmy opened up to Brad and
I was because we responded differently to his behavior. When Jimmy acts out, he is usually either
ignored, or reprimanded. Brad and I
chose two very different approaches.
Every time Jimmy would assault Brad physically, Brad would turn around
and knock him on his butt. Now I know
what you’re probably thinking. What kind
of person would beat up on an orphan?
But for some reason, Jimmy was intrigued by this. So every single day, sometimes two or three
times a day, those two would go at it.
They weren’t especially rough with each other (or so Brad assures me),
but it seemed that the wrestling gave Jimmy the outlet he needed physically,
and the attention he needed emotionally.
My approach was also different. Every time Jimmy would come up and pinch me
or steal something of mine, I would hug him and tell him I loved him. Now at first, he pretended to be completely
repulsed by this. But after time, he
started running up to me to give me a quick hug and the tiniest hint of a smile
before running off to torment someone else.
So Brad and I fell head over heels in love
with this boy. We understood him. We could relate to him. We knew why he was acting out. We knew how smart he really was. We saw the potential inside of him. We saw the size of his heart, hidden beneath
all of his walls. We would pray for him
and see huge things in his future. This
kid has the power inside of him to shake nations, to stir things up, to lead
others and to speak truth! His future is
anointed beyond belief! The more we
prayed for him, the more we knew it to be true!
There are no limits to what this kid will be able to do for God’s
Kingdom! He just needs guidance, and
discipline, and prayer, AND LOVE!
So our last day at the orphanage, this man and
wife came to put on a clown show for the kids.
After the show, the man began preaching to the kids. At the end of his message, he asked if there
was anyone who didn’t feel God’s love for them.
He invited anyone who didn’t feel like God loved them to come up for
prayer. I remember praying, “Please God,
not Jimmy! He’s always in trouble. Just please, please let him know that God
loves him!” But before I had even
finished my prayer, Jimmy was coming forward with tears in his eyes. I immediately started weeping. A few more children came forward, along with
some of the “tias” who help out at the orphanage. Then the man turned to the world racers and
said we could come up and pray for someone if we felt led. Brad and I ran to Jimmy and threw our arms
around him.
We began praying ferociously! That God would reveal Himself to Jimmy in a
way he had never known. That His love
would flood over Jimmy so abundantly that he would shout from the rooftops how
loved he was. That he would come to know
the Lord in such an intimate and personal way, that he would allow God to move
through him and mold him into the man he was created to be. A man of power! A man of wisdom! A man of royalty! A man of destiny!
By the time we were done praying, all three of
us were holding each other and weeping.
I will never forget that day, nor the love I was overcome with for that
boy. For a brief moment, the three of us
were a family. It’s hard to put it into
words or to explain it any better than that.
We were a family.
So now we’re on our way to Thailand, to fight
human trafficking. My heart is 100
percent dedicated to what this month has in store for us, and I am beyond
excited. But Brad and I will keep the
people at Cicrin in our hearts and in our prayers. We have exchanged email addresses with some
of the contacts there, and we plan on writing Jimmy letters and keeping up with
him. We’ll continue to pray for him, as
he has touched both of our hearts forever.
