Yesterday was a GREAT day; I’m going to walk you through it. The morning started with a skype call to my
friend Erika (pictured, right) back home. The power went out in mid-conversation, but I got to hear her beautiful voice for nearly 45 minutes. It brought the encouragement I needed to make it through the next fourteen hours of my day. The chat with Erika was immediately followed by a bowl of oatmeal and an hour of intentional worship with my team. Music stops at 10am, and we’re out the door by 10:05.
friend Erika (pictured, right) back home. The power went out in mid-conversation, but I got to hear her beautiful voice for nearly 45 minutes. It brought the encouragement I needed to make it through the next fourteen hours of my day. The chat with Erika was immediately followed by a bowl of oatmeal and an hour of intentional worship with my team. Music stops at 10am, and we’re out the door by 10:05.We pull up to the children’s home and swing open the gate. In a matter of seconds, we transform into human jungle-gyms. First on our “to-do” list: clean the nurse’s station. We clear out and organize the clutter, wash mattresses, change sheets, mop the floor, etc. And then we walk to the back corner and push the yellow door open. (Any guesses as to what’s in there?) Yes, it’s time to clean the squatty potty!!! Pause here for a brief attitude check: we don’t HAVE to scrub poo off of walls, we GET to scrub poo off of walls. (Jesus, you are worth it!) When we’re done cleaning the squatty, we take a moment to bask in the glow of the now-shiny, clean walls, as we enjoy the fresh lemon scent wafting through the nurse’s station.
Time for the next act of love: de-licing the kids. Hair wrapped, comb and conditioner in hand, we sit all eighty children down and begin to comb through their hair. Good times. A couple of hours later…kids are good to go, and it’s time to head home for some grilled cheese and tomato soup. Lunch followed by a 30 minute nap. Wake up. Return to the children’s home. This is my favorite part of the day. My friend Carly and I asked the caretakers which of the immobile boys didn’t get very much attention. She gave us four names, and then Jesus showed us how to love them. We grabbed some wheelchairs, strapped our new friends in, and went for a walk around the neighborhood.
I looked down at one of the boys in my wheelchair. Because I stood behind him, he couldn’t see me. He had no
idea where we were going, or how long it would take us to get there. Any unexpected turns or bumps in the road he welcomed with a smile–he was simply enjoying his time out in the sunshine (which, in India, there is PLENTY of). He trusted that I would keep him safe, and bring him home in one piece. Can you see God at work, here?! Much like my young friend, I often cannot see the force that is pushing me. Sometimes God’s presence isn’t as visible as I’d like it to be. And there are many days when I find myself facing unexpected turns and bumps in the road. I don’t know where He’s leading me. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get there. And to be honest, this freaks me out.
idea where we were going, or how long it would take us to get there. Any unexpected turns or bumps in the road he welcomed with a smile–he was simply enjoying his time out in the sunshine (which, in India, there is PLENTY of). He trusted that I would keep him safe, and bring him home in one piece. Can you see God at work, here?! Much like my young friend, I often cannot see the force that is pushing me. Sometimes God’s presence isn’t as visible as I’d like it to be. And there are many days when I find myself facing unexpected turns and bumps in the road. I don’t know where He’s leading me. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get there. And to be honest, this freaks me out. This is when God probably speaks the loudest to me, and I stubbornly refuse to listen. He’s yelling, “Les, just sit back and enjoy the ride. I’ll take you where you need to go. You can’t get there on your own. Just trust me. When you can’t see me leading you, know that i’m pushing you from behind”.
We brought the boys back to their house, and grabbed a “rick-shaw” ride home. On the way, I heard God whisper, “Les, sit back and enjoy the SONshine”. Okay, God. That sounds lovely.
