“May we never lose our wonder.
Wide-eyed and mystified,
May we be just like a child,
Staring at the beauty of the King.”
This song was my heartbeat and cry these past two weeks. And you know what?
I experienced a childlike wonder that blew me away.
Imagine this.
Waking up when it’s still pitch black outside. Making yourself a cup of coffee, you settle down on a couch (a couch!!) and put your journal on the glass table decked out with seven vases of the prettiest roses you’ve ever seen. You dive head first into the Word. After you process, reflect, and journal, you grab your blanket and cup of coffee and walk outside.
The sun’s rays are gently kissing the earth good morning. Farmland stretches for miles. Farmers are up bright and early tending to the earth. Mountains line the horizon and in the far distance you see a snow-capped volcano slightly smoking. You wave to Como Te Llama, your pet llama, and watch him stare stoically back at you.
You then turn the corner and peek through the window. The kiddos are up bright and early, smiling and laughing in their wheelchairs. You chuckle to yourself, excited to be with them soon enough. You get a glimpse of another snow-capped volcano in the distance floating on a blanket of clouds.
Settling yourself comfortably in your chair, you sit in silence and take in the beauty around you.
After a few moments, you begin to pray. As you are praying for people and for things that require childlike trust, you look over to the right to see a highlighter pink bird perched on a tree.
A simple reminder of how good our God is.
Welcome to my life at the orphanage in Latacunga.
I had the incredible opportunity to be with special needs and normal needs kids for a week and a half. In that short of a time, I fell head over heels in love with them.
From wheelchair walks, to semi going to war during feeding time, to reading the same books over and over in Spanish, to pretend play fighting, these kids took all my energy and I was glad of it.
One night after reading a story from the Bible, the Tia asked the kids to join her in prayer. This was the first night I witnessed this and I was both curious and confused. These kids all had speech disabilities and couldn’t physically speak.
But the Tia would call on a child, and they would make a joyful sound, and through the Holy Spirit, I felt their prayers—their love, thankfulness, and praise for our King.
With tears in my eyes, I was speechless. To see these special needs orphans’ praising our God was something special to behold.
I was able to see these kids through Jesus’ lens. He didn’t see them as special needs orphans—abandoned, lost, unlovable.
These orphans were wonderfully made in the likeness of Him. They are beacons of hope. God redeemed their circumstances, and is continuing to heal them spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. There is so much more in store for them.
While in Latacunga, I came across Romans 8:15-17, “[…] The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
These kids aren’t orphans.
They are now sons and daughters. Not only that, they are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
Amen, Jesus.
These kids gave me a glimpse into their precious world, and I’m thankful to be changed for the better.
Are there ways you can open your eyes to see the daily wonder that surrounds us?
