Oh, the ministry at the slums. I am both full of thoughts and without words at the same time. These children have stolen my heart in a way I cannot describe. I love these babies like I love my nephews. I care for them with my utmost ability like I would care for a newborn baby. I want the best for them. I would do anything for them. I don’t care if by leaning my head on their head as they cuddle up to me, it means I may have lice. I don’t care if they drool, urinate, or wipe their noses on me. I just want to be with them.
Wow. I know that was intense. I didn’t plan for all that to come out of my fingertips just now, but I really am overflowing in love for them. Working in the slums here in Cambodia has wrecked my heart in a new way. I see their situation and it seems like another prison…
There are houses and families living on top of one another. The families have very little. There is much alcohol and drug abuse. Some of the families seem to be doing the best they can to keep their children safe, yet the children’s little bodies are covered in scars, bruises, wounds of neglect and carelessness, and some wounds are intentional. I have seen a mother chase after her young child, beat him with a stick, and tell him she wishes he would die. Everywhere I turn I see violence against the children and the adults against each other; a sad by-product of a country where half of the population has witnessed a terrible genocide and the violence has trickled down to the next generation.
As my heart has ached walking down the streets I have asked God, “Where are you? Please show me what you are doing and how I can help!” Yesterday, after praying for a little girl with a horrible gash on her head and all the children that were sick with an infection, God reminded me of the prison ministry. He reminded me how I said to the inmates, “no matter how long you are scheduled to be here, God can work in your life and give you the greatest joy and freedom in the midst of your circumstances.” Can God not work a miracle like that in the slums as well?
He also showed me a vision of the same little boy that was cursed by His mother growing into a mighty oak tree in the spirit. There was a big hollowed out area in the tree and the other kids came and played inside. The tree was strong and able to withstand strong winds and was a place of safety. This tree represents the strong generation of children that God is raising up in the midst of the slums.
So here it is, the entire point I want to make and another lesson learned…THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PRISON IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
As we allow God to work in and through us, we are the hands and feet of Jesus. The more we allow Him to break our heart for what breaks His, the more we learn to love like Him. Every hug, every song we sing with the children, every hot plate of food, every kind word, every smile, and every loving intention is lavishing Jesus on them and invoking a change in their hearts and lives.
I have been building a relationship in one of the slums with a young woman who has a little baby. Last week she invited me to her house and she told me how much she loves that we come and how “our smiles make her so happy”. She taught me how to sing part of “Jesus Loves Me” in the Cambodian language, I prayed over her and her little family, and then she asked me to braid her hair. The look on her face after I braided her hair was PRICELESS. She felt so beautiful and cared for in the way that only Jesus can care for someone.
I also see children loving their siblings and caring for each other, whether that be by feeding their infant siblings or picking the lice out of each other’s hair. These kids have definitely seen an example of God’s love before we came to them because THEY LOVE US SO WELL! They smile and laugh and cuddle up to us like they already know they belong. They know that we love them and they are happy to love us back. It is beautiful.
So, here is my prayer and I invite you to agree with me…
“Jesus, it is so hard to see little babies suffer in the slums. They are so hungry for love. The way they hang all over us shows their desperation for the love that we offer. I pray your presence in us evokes more change, growth, maturity, and most of all, knowledge of you. Thank you for loving these babies through us. They are such a gift. I pray we would not be just mere memories of foreign faces from long ago but that they would see you in us, and then meet you over and over and over again through other people until they realize that you are everywhere. Show them that you keep showing up because they are so important to you and close to your heart. Thank you for this beautiful and loving generation you are raising up for you. Thank you for showing your face in the midst of circumstances. Thank you for dwelling here. This is where you do miracles on a daily basis, comforting those who mourn, and blessing those who are persecuted. God, if your love is great enough to conquer death, than your love is great enough to restore, heal, and strengthen this generation. Although my understanding is small, you are big. I trust you with these little ones.
Amen.”
