I am not a kid person.
In high school I was rarely called back to babysit. I brought games, made supper, washed the dishes, followed the parents rules . . . but I think they kids knew my heart was not in it. I was never any kids favorite babysitter.
The only time I seemed to connect with kids, and enjoy their company as well, was when I was teaching swimming lessons. I am a kid in the pool. I love to play. Also, when I really needed a break I just called for a “see who can hold their breath the longest” contest and I could get anywhere from 3 – 30 seconds of silence.
I do not want to play with orphans.
For two reasons.
Reason number one is that I am worried that once again I will not connect. I will be annoyed. I won’t be able to love on them as I truly want to and I will not allow them to bless my life either.
My hope is that I can look at them the way and I look at my nieces and nephews (both those that are related and others who have earned the title through strong friendships). Better yet I really hope that I can look at them as God does.
I will need an extra dose of this love. Not only will these be my-not-so-favorite-aged-humans but some times they may come running towards me with extra dirty hands from eating food and wiping bottoms. Their hair will sometimes be infested with lice or other crawling things.
I am not trying to paint a bleak picture here,
these are actual experiences that other World Racers have shared.
I am not a kid person. However, I am not too worried about that. God will have the great opportunity to show His strength through my weakness. When the time comes for me to hug those dirty, tiny humans I am sure that I will with glowing eyes and a warm heart . . . well most days. I am sure that some days I will still wish for a pool and 3 seconds of silence.
There will be days where James and I will gladly ignore the giggling children. Not because of their dirty hands and annoying jabbering (sorry kids), but because we both feel that a part of our mission is making sure that we do our best to love on those running the organizations that we are helping.
Loving on the orphans makes for a great Facebook status and wonderful pictures. And they deserved to be loved. But behind the scenes there are people who are caring for those kids day in and day out, and maybe one of them is someone like me, someone who wears a little thin after too many days with people who only come up to their knees.
I want to love on the orphan care takers. I am not sure what they may look like yet, but we will find out.
I want to love on the sex trafficking victims, but also those who run the safe houses for these wounded girls and guys.
I want to witness to the unbelievers in the streets, but I also want to uplift the pastors who live in those neighborhoods.
James and I want to focus on making sure that we do the work that God is calling us to do, even if it does not make for the perfect Instagram photo. We want to empower those who are the long term missionaries and care takers for those that we will only get to know for a short time.
James hopes that his mechanical know-how and his love of working with his hands will allow him to provide encouragement to a pastor in Africa who has a roof that leaks or a car that won’t start. I hope that my love for being a listening ear and a gift giver will help to bless a local missionary who is tired after she is emotionally and spiritually spent after giving all she has to the fatherless kids that she sees in the streets. We do not know exactly what kind of work and people lie ahead of us, but we are excited to find out.
We will be able to do a lot in the 11 short months we are out in the field. We will grow a lot. Hopefully we will help others to grow in God’s love as well. As long as we keep our eyes on God and not on our own glory then the work we do, whatever it is, will be worth it. In this time we are preparing to be completely broken and then completely rocked. We are preparing to be open to what God has in store for us and those we will be meeting around the world.
I have wrestled a lot with what it means to be a short term missionary and if it is really how God wants us to be his disciples. James and I really started to talk about how we want to make an impact on the World Race after I read this blog 10 Steps for Doing Short Term Missions Trips Well. As we prepare for this trip we pray that we can avoid any pride and attention seeking behavior. We continually to feel that God has us where He wants us and that this is a trip that will bring glory to Him.
James and I are also still preparing by fundraising. We hope that you will support us and be a part of this trip with us. You can help us bring God’s love to everyone we meet.
During the race we will celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary together! However, this year we get to celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary right here in the states in just a couple of days (June 18).
Us World Racers love the number 11.
And as James and I were married in 2011 we are hoping that you can celebrate this year with us by supporting us with $11 sometime this month. Every little bit helps. Please click the “Support Me” tab on our page and consider who you will be blessing with that $11 (hint: it will not just be James and myself, but the kinds of people I mentioned earlier in this post).
A big thank you for those who have supported us this far! We have raised so much, yet still have a way to go. So far we have felt completely blessed!
