So, we just got to our new ministry which is at an orphanage called Sending Hope international. It is amazing! We took a 2 hour sung thaew ride through the most beautiful mountains with all of our packs and some brownies and coffee. Good stuff. We got here and were instantly greeted by 40 little girls with the brightest smiles I have ever seen.
To be perfectly honest, kids are not really my thing. The idea of being surrounded by little girls all day scared me. We brought our things inside and then sat on the back porch that overlooked the mountains and I couldn’t believe this was going to be our home for the next two weeks. We talked to David, our ministry host, and told him all of our testimonies. Then it was time for lunch and I just sat there awkwardly for a while as my teammates jumped right in and stared talking to the girls. Eventually as more and more sweet little girls started coming up to me, I realized that their love was unconditional no matter how funny or entertaining I felt like I was. We ate and then went to teach english for an hour. I’m with the littles and I absolutely love them. These 9 little girls are crazy and smart and beautiful and overall amazing. The first day we just sat back and watched someone else teach them because we had no idea what we were doing. They were more focused than I ever was at their age and even when I would try to distract them (not on purpose they’re just so cute) they paid attention the whole time. Their eagerness to learn inspired me. After english we all went to the field and played kickball and volleyball. It was the most pure fun I’ve had in a really long time. We won kickball and lost volleyball so I mean you win some, you lose some. We showered and then had some really good soup and ate on the grass. The sunsets here are right above the mountains and are the best of the best. They are the type of sunsets that exalt the beauty of God and his creations. That night we also had a camp fire where we celebrated all the girls who have birthdays in October with cake and banana muffins. They all sang for us and we danced and ate and had a grand old time. After we finished worship, they came out with a bouquet of flowers for each of us and it was such a simply sweet gesture, I almost cried. After eating we had frosting fights and I went back to my room with a happy heart and a face covered in frosting. Getting 40 little goodnight hugs made me feel a ridiculous amount of love.
The next morning, we taught for an hour where we wrote words, numbers, and shapes, as well as playing many game of simon says. Teaching english was something that I was nervous about doing at first but has quickly become one of my favorite parts of the day. David did a really good job of encouraging us and reminding our team that since we can speak english, we can teach it too. After english they played soccer and the we had lunch and another hour of english. We were supposed to go play outside after this but instead we found ourselves on the back porch with all the girls as Pres played the guitar and we all sang along. All of the girls here LOVE music and are incredibly talented. As we ran out of song ideas, one of the girls asked to play her guitar and they ended up singing a ton of songs. Even though we couldn’t understand any of the words, it was beautiful and I could feel the presence of the Lord. We played uno, did word searches, and played hangman on the floor until dinner. At dinner, some of the girls picked some small white flowers and started putting them in our braided hair. To be honest, I felt really really gross that night. I didn’t have time to shower and it was day 3 of wearing the clothes I had on. Suddenly though, none of that mattered. I felt beautiful. I think today’s society in America has set such a specific standard on what being beautiful should look like. My view on beauty has changed dramatically this week. Most of the time beauty is how you treat other people. What your kindness and grace looks like towards others. Humbling yourself to serve and pour into others. Little white flowers and smiling faces. That is beauty folks.
These girls do not have the easiest life; they have lived a life completely different from my own and don’t even speak the same language but none of that matters. They giggle at words they don’t understand as we try to ask them where we should bring our dishes or anything else we are confused about. They hold our hands for the entire hour of worship and just stare up with the most innocent eyes I have ever seen. You honestly can’t not smile all day here. These girls represent the childlike innocence and purity of a relationship with the Lord that we all try to hang on to. They try and teach us Thai and giggle at how bad we are at writing words, but continue to encourage us anyhow. We play games and watch the sunset and laugh and hold hands and make up handshakes all day long. This is honestly the coolest most eyeopening experience I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of. These girls are the coolest ever.
The water broke and we ended up taking a shower at another place, filled with bugs and a solid 2 small streams of water. Our weekend was filled with rest and napping and going to the market to help get food for meals. The girls were so eager to introduce us to all the different kinds of food and made us try every one. As Presley tried to buy Ruth, one of the older girls, a desert, she would’t take it at first and it took a few minutes of convincing. It made me realize how strange it is for these girls to be served and to receive gifts. All we wanted to do is serve them and love them but they are so used to serving others that sometimes this made things hard. They are selfless. They think about others instantly before themselves and want to do everything to make us feel loved and at home. These girls seriously have the kindest hearts of anyone I have ever met. On Sunday we had church and the girls all wore the dresses from their tribes and it was beautiful. We sang and did a skit for them and David spoke and it was amazing to see their hearts for the Lord. They pray hard and crave for more knowledge of the Lord and a deeper understanding of Him.
One thing that I have thought about a lot since I have been here is how happy these girls are, even when they have every reason not to be. They greet us with hugs and smiles constantly and always seem to be laughing about something. They serve us meals with gladness and grace and never complain about anything. They listen to us as we teach them english, even when it’s not very fun. With all of this being said, I am learning more from these girls than I could ever teach them. I am learning to wake up with a smile and a glad heart daily because you always have so much to be thankful for. As I watch them serving with such gladness, it makes me want to serve and love them better. These girls radiate Jesus and all the things He represents. They are kind and gracious and glad and forgiving and appreciative and wise and they love unconditionally. I have never felt more tender love than what these girls give us every single day. What a blessing it is to be a part of their lives for the next two weeks.
stepped on a bee for the 2nd time so thats where I’m at
