Our first month in Thailand my team and I had ministry at a foster home. At the time (praise the Lord for some recent adoptions!!) there were 5 babies around age 2, and 5 “big kids” ages 4-7. I helped out on the big kid side which consisted of the classic 5 year old stories and commentary (kids say the darnedest things), and the sweetest requests, like pushing them on the squeaky swing for half an hour, or eating their sandbox creations that occasionally contained… evidence that a cat was there. The days started out with those solid hours of outside playtime, followed by snack and lessons made possible by singalong videos, crafts, games, books, and help from the most enormous supplies closet I’ve seen. Movie time followed, and it was typically the same choice every day, so the kids would claim to be a character and then reenact and quote almost every scene. It was gold. Their nap time was our lunch break which served as a time for my teammates and I to walk to a small Thai restaurant down the street, and take a nap ourselves. Every Wednesday brought some of the purest moments, as we would load up in the big van go to the nursing home where the babies and kids would preform songs and dances for the elders that gathered around. Fridays were what they called “outings”, and we got as equally excited as the kids did for 711 ice cream or walks in the park, and sometimes a walk through an outdoor market to a little Thai restaurant. Let me tell you, this ministry was magical.
Now, thats simple and sweet right? Right, but this place is extraordinary.
Connie, the wonder woman behind it all, with God’s strength and provision, manages to make this place a home to each and every child that lives there, and to each and every staff member and volunteer. Over 20 years ago her and her husband were compelled to begin their journey that has not only impacted lives of everyone they have met, but saved the lives of countless children and women. The other orphanages and foster homes in Thailand are not to be overlooked, as they meet the needs of babies and children with nurturing, educating, and suitable environments, but Connie’s Home went a step up. The babies she had taken in were sick, sick with demands of medication and attention that they simply wouldn’t receive among the numbers of children in the other homes, and the harsh truth being that they wouldn’t live. So, the home begins with the biggest blessing, by the grace of God, a chance to life.
They are raised with care and love that seemingly exceeds human ability, as it runs so deep and genuine from Connie to each child. She looks out for their mental and emotional health with a nailed-down understanding of the impacts on children that come with foster care and the ever-changing status of surrounding children being adopted while they remained. She is so careful with her words, but truthful and open in the most appropriate way for a 5 year old to not be left in the dark of understanding. She feeds their physical bodies with the most diverse of foods and introductions to international dishes, as they would be internationally adopted, as well as all the Thai meals and rice to keep a tie with where they come from. She feeds their minds with access to books, lessons, sing alongs, games and playtimes, and runs things with a fair system of sharing and caring. She is who they call “mommy” and they know her to be the one that listens to them, tucks them in, and puts a band-aid on their scrapes. And she provides them with the most important thing: an introduction to the Lord and His unending care and goodness, faithful promises, and abundantly unfailing love.It was incomprehensible, really, to see how she poured into these babies and children. How she took them in and loved them at 100% knowing that she would say goodbye not long after. I mean just really let that sink in. This love… It couldn’t be streamed from anything but the overflow of love from the Lord. She is the most remarkable example of a vessel of His love to the children.
It was so beautiful to get to know these kids. Working with them, playing with them, and loving them. You would never guess the stories that preceded their bright, smart, lively personalities and their big, big dreams. It was so cool to see living examples of hope and the Lord’s love for them. He provides. He cares. He miraculously saves. He is a Father to the orphans. He is a refuge. He is love. He has a purposeful plan for each of these children’s lives. Even when abortions were preformed in attempt to prevent their life, He carried them through. Even when they were on the brink of death, sick and fragile, He carried them through. Even when they were abandoned or labeled “unwanted”, He carried them through.
One day I sat and wondered. What about the orphans? What about the countless orphans all over the world. My heart broke, and it sank. It’s a hard overwhelming topic to think about beyond acknowledgement, so I can’t even imagine what it would be like to endure. Outside of homes like Connie’s, these magical safe havens for children to be cared for before their next loving and willing families that take them in as their own, there are the the children that aren’t familiar with hope or love or care beyond the means of a shelter. Even children with parents, that are neglected and abused and led to feel like orphans, it is all so real in the world. I had to remember that God is good. God still has them. God plans to prosper them. Just as the beginning stages of these babies and children at Connie’s Home were hopeless and treacherous, God can work in the circumstances that take place in harsh environments, and He can bring hope to the 17 year old orphan drowned in doubt. No matter their circumstance, the Lord can work. He is their father, not from the distance of heaven but in the attainable and true personal presence that he blesses us with.
Now, easy for me to say right? Never have I ever been an orphan, living without knowing my parents or without being loved, cared and provided for. So, don’t take my word for it, take HIS word for it. Psalm 10:14 says “But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted. You consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you: you are the helper of the fatherless.” and Psalm 68:5 “Father of the fatherless and protector of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.” He cares about those that are not seemingly cared for. He has a plan for every being on earth beyond our desires, needs, and understanding.
I was so blessed to witness the love that he has for the children that didn’t seem to stand a chance. I credit Connie to an agape amount of heart, strength, and willingness beyond means of any other human being I know. She and her family are admirable, strong, and a living inspiration. It is no doubt that she is an example of what can happen when we invite the Lord into our lives. He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can even imagine. In and through us, He works. He restores, He heals, He loves. He loves. He loves.
This ministry was the most obvious example of His love I’ve ever been a part of or seen. I am SO THANKFUL for it.
