My Dear Friends at New Hope for Orphans,
First off, you should know I have written this opening paragraph eight times now and all words still seem to fall short. The composed sentences fail to fully capture the great love I experienced and have for you.
So now, we’re just going to go for it.
Joy. That was the very first thing I saw on your sweet little faces– loads and buckets of joy. What a puzzling thing to arrive at an orphanage and see some of the most joyful kids I’ve ever met. It was absolutely nothing like those Annie movies. Despite your circumstances– no parents, sharing a bedroom with thirteen others, or only owning two or three shirts– your joy was sweet in the air and terribly contagious upon our arrival. Twenty-six Cambodian kids running up to and hugging six American strangers as if they’d known us their entire lives. Joy like that comes only from the Lord.
I’ll tell you a secret about us World Racers. Many of us enter into our journey with a longing to serve God’s people. Our t-shirts make bold cries of, “Heal the sick, clothe the naked, and feed the hungry.” We want to “be the hands and feet of Jesus” and experience God in new, big, and magnificent ways. All of this is good and admirable, I believe. However, I wonder how many Racers, much like our team, come to discover that they can experience God in the small, meek, and gentle ways of a child, just like you.
That’s right, you. The image and character of the Most High resides in your very being. I had the privilege of seeing Him in your heart every single day. You serve each other and your guests in the most humble manner. You praise and worship the Lord with clapping, drums, and unabashed, somewhat-off-key singing (all at 5AM, might I add). You fully embody David’s words, “I will sing and make music with all my soul.” (Psalm 108:1b) You love deeply, fiercely, and put others before yourselves.
I’ll admit, our days had our challenges as well. The strenuous effort and copious amounts of patience to communicate to one another was often exhausting. It hurts my heart to know we were not able to discuss our life stories or dreams due to the language barrier. It never stopped us though. It never stopped us from sitting under the orange-creamsicle sky, singing praises together with Pheaktra’s acoustic guitar, and swapping the little words we did share in our common language.
Kids, please don’t forget the One who you praise so joyfully. Get to know God more and more. Get to know His heart and His dreams for your lives. While the world may dismiss you as the forgotten ones, you are so far from that. The Father has a special place in His heart for you and Scripture reminds us of that constantly. You can always lean into Him for love, rest, comfort, and guidance. He is the ultimate Father. Your Father.
“The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.”
—Psalm 146:9
And don’t forget to dream your big dreams and chase them. Thet, if you want to be a nurse, then go for it. Continue to study hard, and love others harder. Your gifts of nurturing and healing are incredibly beautiful. Pheaktra and Matthew, your talents in art are most certainly from the Lord. Keep drawing, doodling, and painting. Your works glorify Him so well. Duong, you are smarter than you think and more influential than you know. You may be young, but leadership shines out of you. Use this gift wisely, God has given you the tools to make an incredible impact on this world if you choose.
Each and every one of you have beautiful hearts, intelligent minds, and pure souls. Embrace the community– the family– God has given you in each other. Encourage each other. Pray for each other. Love each other. You have an incredible support system right in front of you.
Know that God used you to change me, as well as my entire team. We are so very blessed to have crossed paths in this life and we really, really hope to do so again in the future. We can only hope that we too, left a shred of a similar impact. You are in our thoughts and prayers. We miss you more than you know. And we love you with a love that can only come from the Lord.
Until next time, “dream see me”.
Love you kids dearly.
