I’ve had my fair share of kids who have left my heart broken this year.
I’ve played Connect Four with the sweetest children amongst the darkness of the red light district in Thailand.
I’ve heard the stories and seen the truth in Haiti, where child sacrifice is all too common.
I’ve had a little boy not show up to English class in Cambodia because he was too drunk.
I’ve held the sweetest little girls on my lap in Tanzania. Little girls who did not know who their parents were because of AIDS.
I’ve had to leave the beauty of El Shaddai Orphanage in Swaziland with nothing but a note from little Bongiwe telling me that she is going to be praying for me.
I’ve gotten to go back to Romania and visit my favorite Roma babies, only to have to leave them yet again.
This month is no exception.
We’ve begun teaching an English class in the morning to some of the local kids. One little girl, Estella, stood out to me instantly. Huge brown eyes, a sweet little face, and a smile that only comes out every once in awhile.
I’ve started doing one-on-one lessons with her since she was further behind than the other kids. It’s very obvious that she does not receive one-on-one attention very often. It takes her a long time to remember simple things like 1 through 5. Abusive homes are very common in Moldova and with the way she interacts, I would not be a bit surprised if that were the case.
In these situations I find myself wondering, what can I do? One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned this year is that there is not a whole lot I can do. I am just one person. But with God, anything is possible.
And I literally mean, anything. He’s constantly blowing the lid off of my expectations for Him. He’s a God who loves to show off. He’s also a God that loves.
This world sucks. It's a place where bad things happen to good people. But, despite all the bad in the world, we still have a God who loves us. Even when we turn our backs to Him, He never stops pursuing us. He is relentless. I firmly believe that He is with these kids: the forgotten, the abused, and the lonely. The world may forget them, but He never does.
Isaiah 49:15 – “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you.”
