Today was the day I have been most excited to wake up for so far! It was our first day at ministry, where we learned we were going to an orphanage. Our guides name is Peter, & he has been blind for over 30 years now. He met us at our home base, Iris Ministries, with three of his helpers, Alex, Fatima, & Isabella. The orphanage was about 6 years old, & housed 15 orphans, with 45 other children who came daily from their households. He told us they had various ministries they did weekly which included technical drawing, ministry @ a local hospital, widows, elderly women, etc. They picked all 7 of my small team up in a local taxi (in other words, a beat up pick up truck) & we rode in the bed of the truck for a the beautiful 20 minute ride to the orphanage.
We got dropped off at what seemed like an abandoned warehouse on the side of the road, & I immediately got really confused. But as we followed Peter & his friends, they began to guide us down a sandy path, that led into an intricate community, or a village of thousands of people. The houses were African huts, made of mud, stone, rock, & wood. We were welcomed by children playing down the paths, women either cooking or cleaning outside. Immediately, we were greeted by the workers at the orphanage, 30 people in total, who offered us chairs to rest, & took our bags to put away safely in their homes. One little girl caught my attention who was around 1 to 2 years old. I immediately began playing with her, picked her up, & everything seemed to click: I know I said before that I felt @ home, but for the first time, the Lord's plan felt branded on my heart… this was where I was supped to be.
The rest of the day we spent playing games with the children, singing songs like "This Little Light of Mine," "Pharaoh, Pharaoh," & "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." We also learned many Portuguese songs & dances! I was amazed that even with the language barrier, we were all able to read the body language of others, & with hand motions, the songs & dances were a breeze. I had a lot of experience with children in my past, so today felt normal to me.
After lunch we continued with games & songs, as we moved to another yard closely. As we began to play & dance, I turned around and noticed Andy praying for a little girl who seemed paralyzed. She had been sitting on the ground for some time, admiring the joy we all had in playing the various games. My heart immediately fell & as it reminded me of my late Uncle Jimmy who was also paralyzed, I felt the need to go pray for her. However, I decided to keep my distance & let Andy minister.
Sure enough, Peter walked over & began talking to Andy, telling him what was exactly wrong with the child. He then started shouting my name, asking where I was… "Sarah, where is Sarah??" I almost laughed out loud, and ran over. I knew the Lord wanted me to pray for her. (Peter & I had briefly talked prior about children with disabilities & how art can be used to assist them. He had been telling me of this exact child not even 10 minutes prior.) Come to find, she was not paralyzed completely, but was lame. She had a bad leg, broken arm, & mental disorders.
I immediately felt the need to cradle the child in my arms, who we learned was named Rosa. She was so beautiful. As Andy continued to pray over her broken arm, Desirae eventually joined us, & we began to see a little change in the girl. He arm that once could not bend at all, was freely moving back & forth, & the once limp hand grasped me ever so tightly. After about 30 minutes, it was time for us to leave, & we decided to walk Rosa home. We were greeted by her mother, father, & family friend, of whom we asked to pray over. We began to pray, with Rosa sitting on a bench next to us, & the prayer lasted about 2-3 minutes. The second we opened our eyes, Rosa was gone!! Ha ha she had walked or limped a good distance away from us, & we left the place with a huge feeling of hope.
Though Rosa was not completely healed, I saw Jesus shine in her, & the people around her that day. The many people who stopped to witness us praying over her saw nothing but love, & I know that was how we were called to show Christ's love today. The village was filled with the spirit, & such a joy that completely soaked our hearts as we left. We left drained, drenched in seat, full stomachs, but spiritually on fire. What a great day with the Lord!!
