Coming into a 40 girl orphanage with 5 staff members, all speaking different forms of Thai was a little intimidating. Meeting anyone and not being able to fully know what they are saying or to have them not understand what you are trying to say is hard. Communication is such a valued piece of ministry that a lack there of can sometimes be discouraging. However, when the audience of your ministry is little girls ranging in age from 4-17 years old, there is one thing everyone understands… LAUGHTER.
And oh boy, do these girls laugh. They laugh and giggle when you say hi and when you say bye. They laugh when you make silly faces and give them hugs. They laugh when you try and pronounce their names and swear you’re saying it the exact same way they are. They laugh when we worship together. They laugh when we play games. They laugh pretty much at every single thing we do and it’s AWESOME.
It’s awesome because it’s through those little giggles that I hear and see Jesus. It’s through those little giggles after a tickle fight that I know they feel loved. After all when our first introduction to them turned quickly into a tickle fight I knew I was in for it. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was going to fall in love with every single one of them. And I have. Yes it’s only day 5, but I do love them.
Their laughter communicates so much more than amusement. It communicates connection, freedom to be who they are, joy, peace, comfort, safety, kindness, love and Jesus. You would be amazed what a little smile will do for someone. Some of these girl’s smiles will melt your heart, and I know that because they’ve already melted mine.
Im thankful for the many giggles we share and sometimes even the laughter that leaves us rolling on the floor crying. No matter the shape or color or ethnicity or language of all of us, we can always share a laugh and know that it’s a laugh filled with love.
This is Jum-Ji… I won’t say she is my favorite, but I will say that she is attached to my hip at ALL times. We have laughed and giggled the most. She is a little tomboy, full of SO much energy. She loves hard and worships loud, it is quite beautiful! I would keep her forever if I could.
This is a picture of me and Kamiren overcome by laughter after being tackled by all 40 girls during keep away. Long story short, we lost. #oldladystatus #wealmostpeed
Thank you for reading this blog!! Please continue to pray for my team and I as we love on these beautiful girls this month. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!!
Love,
Gabbie 🙂
