I am so sorry that I have not blogged in FOREVER! The last month of ministry in Thailand was absolutely AMAZING and I will write more about that soon, I promise. But first…Let me tell you about Malaysia.
This month in Malaysia my team and I are living at a Christian orphanage. There are seven girls living at the house where we are staying and they all have very different stories. Some of the girls come from single parent homes, abusive situations, or both of their parents have passed away. Even though I know these girls have been through such heart-wrenching situations in their lives, they are unbelievably welcoming and loving.
There is the sweetest woman who takes care of the girls here, and I am so happy that we are able to help her out during this month so she can FINALLY take a few days off. This woman is up earlier than 6am, she makes chore charts, supervises and helps with chores, cooks, cleans, breaks up arguments, fills out paperwork, organizes groceries and donations, prays with the girls, puts the girls to bed…and anything else you can think of! She is basically raising these 7 girls.
I was thrilled when she told us she was going to take New Year’s Eve off to visit with family. Knowing that we had the whole day off with the girls got me thinking. Here I am in a Malaysian Orphanage with 7 teenage girls, I have a lot of influence in to their lives right now. My team and I decided that we would plan a full day “New Year’s Retreat” with the girls to take full advanatge of the fact that they look up to us and see us as big sisters.
As I was thinking about some of the things I want to share with the girls and values that I want to model for them this month, I couldn’t help but think about the people who have done these things for me. How would I know how to be a positive role model if I had never had one? How would I know how to relate to these girls and how to plan a “retreat” for them, if no one had ever given their time and energy for me?
I think back to the influences in my life. The older women who took the time to get to know me when I was in middle school and high school. I want to encourage all Christians, the time you spend with young people, matters. Not all young Christian girls have a Godly role model and you don’t have to be perfect to be one. I really think the most important thing is showing up, being fully present, and listening.
This New Year’s Eve was totally unlike any other. I got to wake up early and teach seven little girls how to make french toast. I got to watch their excitement when we figured out how to get the words to their favorite worship songs up on a projector and all sing together. I got to listen to them share what they are thankful for from last year and make goals for next year. I can’t imagine a better way to have spent the last day of 2015.
I haven’t had any of my usual “New Year’s reflection time” where I think about my New Year’s resolutions and evaluate the previous year. I think I am going to just say that my reslution for 2016 is to live more in the moment, and my last day of 2015 was a pretty darn good start! Happy New Year!!!!!!!
