Isaiah 58 says this:
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
WOW. After I cried out to the Lord the other day as I was so overwhelmed, I kept hearing the Lord tell me to keep pressing in to the ministry he’s given me this month on the Race. 
though i didn’t think there was much I could really do for the kids of Happy Tree, and I felt overwhelmed by their need and by feeling exhausted at the very thought of going there every day, God told me to spend myself on their behalf. They are indeed oppressed by poverty and disease…and while I can’t relieve either of those burdens, I know that as we do the tasks the Lord has given us this month, HIS light will rise in the darkness and become like the noonday to these little children. Light seems to be a recurring theme ever since Nicaragua…
though i didn’t think there was much I could really do for the kids of Happy Tree, and I felt overwhelmed by their need and by feeling exhausted at the very thought of going there every day, God told me to spend myself on their behalf. They are indeed oppressed by poverty and disease…and while I can’t relieve either of those burdens, I know that as we do the tasks the Lord has given us this month, HIS light will rise in the darkness and become like the noonday to these little children. Light seems to be a recurring theme ever since Nicaragua…and so now i’m falling in love.
the kids of Happy Tree have a way of getting to me….of getting to my heart.
they absolutely exhaust me.
they pull on my clothes and hands and feet a lot.
some of them don’t smell exactly wonderful.
after playing with them i’m extremely sweaty and dirty.
hearing their shrill little voices shouting “NIEL! NIEL!” at me all afternoon can get a little old. (it means either “sister” or “foreigner” — i’ve heard two interpretations).
but they have a way of getting to my heart…we don’t need to speak the same language to have a heart-bond.
there’s something so sweet about their spirits. …they seem so sad
some of the time. but now that they’re becoming familiar with us, i
think they’re getting a little crazier, a little more
attention-seeking, a little more insistent. they see that we’ve come
back, and come back again, and again.
some of the time. but now that they’re becoming familiar with us, i
think they’re getting a little crazier, a little more
attention-seeking, a little more insistent. they see that we’ve come
back, and come back again, and again.
unfortunately we only have seven more afternoons there….the thought of leaving already makes me sad.
today when we walked up the front stairs all the little ones surrounded us immediately, as usual. but soon they began pulling us down the hallway toward the arts and crafts room…they brought us all the way there so we could deposit “the goods” we were carrying, which were supplies for the craft (making “masks” out of paper plates) and a snack (popcorn!)
when i turned around about ten kids were already seated on the floor,
ready to get started! …however, we had other things to do before
starting. but it was so precious. after only two days we had created
expectations and we were glad to see the children excited for the
activities we had planned!
ready to get started! …however, we had other things to do before
starting. but it was so precious. after only two days we had created
expectations and we were glad to see the children excited for the
activities we had planned!
anyways, we’ve had so much fun playing with these kids. some of the Racers are doing amazing jobs teaching Bible stories to the kids. i’ve stepped back into the old Camp Counselor role in the Arts & Crafts room (hearken back to 2004 summer…) so it’s been lots of fun!
as we keep visiting these kids over the next week and a half before we leave Phnom Penh, I pray that they know that any love they have from us is really just straight from the heart of their Father God…who loves them sooooo much.
look at their beautiful faces and say a prayer for them!!!
***to see their pictures a little bigger, click on the “check out my pics” link on the left hand side of my blog!
so now, as we spend ourselves on behalf of these little children oppressed by disease and poverty and unwantedness….i know “the Lord will satisfy our needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen our frames”…energy, grace, mercy, smiles, laughter…and most of all….LOVE.
