We love because He first loved us

 

These past few weeks have been such a whirlwind I think that I am still trying to sort out everything that has happened. 

My team and I have been working with the HDC during the week one on one with some children that have learning disabilities/ disabilities from fetal alcohol etc.. I have LOVED spending that time with the children, it is so much fun when they get something right and look up at you with the biggest grin you have ever seen. Spending time with the children and seeing the pure joy that they show day in and day out, it is so hard to think about where they have come from and some of the backgrounds that these children have. We drive past the townships everyday but it is so easy to push that to the back of your mind and just look the other way. 

 

One day last week we were allowed to go into the township right next to the HDC to do an “intervention” with GuGu. She told us about the woman that we were helping, that she had lost her husband two months ago and because of disability was unable to care for herself and do everyday cleaning to her place. I have no idea what I was expecting when we walked into the township, but I do know that my heart begin to break for the people of Walmer a little more. We made it her place which was a little shack not much bigger than my bathroom at home. The women was first embarrassed about us going into it but GuGu assured her that we were purely there to help her. We got in there and immediately got to work folding and cleaning what we could. It was so incredible to watch my team as we put everything that we had into helping this woman in her need. When we were finished we were able to hand over some basic everyday supplies but also a “new” mattress for her bed. Before we left I got the opportunity to pray for this woman, as we sat down around her and began you could feel her shoulders began to heave.. She could not understand a word that we were saying but the action of prayer brought tears to her eyes. I wanted to stay with this woman for hours and just sit and listen to her speak, I wanted to understand when she spoke because i can only imagine the stories of life that this woman had!

 

As we left it hit me that this is what those sweet children from the HDC come from, they come from the worst situations but they choose joy daily. In that moment my heart hurt, not out of guilt but out of a love for the people of this city. It hurt for the struggles that the men in this town face and cannot overcome, it hurt for the families that are torn apart due to drugs and alcohol, and it hurt for the women and children who are thrown into the middle of it all. It hurt for those sweet children because our hugs may be the only ones that they get that day. I may not be able to fix what they are going through, but if showing Christ to them is becoming a human jungle gym, smiling at people I pass by,or just hugging those sweet kiddos for the fifth or sixth time as we leave for the day is enough than that is what I will do!

 

 

 

 

I am so thankful for a God who loves me everyday so that I can in turn show that love to others!

 

Hanna 🙂