Friday morning I had the day off from ministry, so I had the time to go to a special needs orphanage. I was originally super excited, but I almost decided not to go just so I could do who knows what…probably hang around the house or go to the coffee shop. Basically nothing worthwhile. But, I decided to go.
And oh boy, am I glad I did!
My teammate and I got to the orphanage not knowing what to expect or what we would be doing. All we knew was that the orphanage was having a festival. We got there and met up with our fellow squad members eager to get to work. Our only charge was to interact with the kids. I went up to one child, Candy, and I sat down on the sidewalk beside her chair. She almost immediately came and sat in my lap. Thankfully, we were able to get up and sit together in the chair…this time. She got up and I walked with her, but then we came back and she sat back on my lap on the sidewalk. Even though it started making my leg go numb, I didn’t care. All I wanted to do was show this precious child of God the love she deserved.
Eventually one of my teammates switched places with me, so I went over to play with one of the babies that one of the orphanage workers was holding. That worker was also helping tend to another child in the chair beside her, so I asked if I could hold the baby. Not only did I want to snuggle this sweet baby, I wanted to help the worker out. The baby wasn’t like typical babies…she didn’t fuss or make faces or cuddle. She was pretty stiff, but she did kick her feet around. This made holding her pretty difficult at times, but I didn’t care. All I wanted to do was show this precious child of God the love she deserved.
One of the other workers came and took the baby away, so I walked over to try some food. But I didn’t get around to that because one of the teenagers, Rosemary, grabbed my hand. She was so sweet! She sat while holding my hands or stood in front of me, still holding my hands. I only got to try one bite of food, still while holding one of her hands, but I didn’t care. All I wanted to do was show this precious child of God the love she deserved.
These kids were not like “normal” kids. They didn’t talk much. They needed extra help in most areas of life. But, they were also filled with so much more joy than most of the kids I’ve met. If you ever feel like you don’t have a purpose, go love on some kids with special needs. They will touch your heart in a way that most things or people can’t. You automatically become infected by their joy, and it’s the best feeling in the world!
“…the joy of the Lord is your strength.” -Nehemiah 8:10
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” -Proverbs 17:22
