This past week has been filled with opportunities and moments of me seeking higher perspectives (figuratively and literally) and boldly walking into unknown spaces. This month my team and I are doing ministry in an orphanage for children who have HIV. When we got to the orphanage we knew we were going to do manual labour and honestly nothing could have prepared me for what I was going to face.
We were given 7 rooms and a kitchen to clean. Sounds easy, right? That’s until you find out that the seven rooms you are about to clean are for expecting mothers who come in with AIDS and cannot afford to go to a hospital. Space for mothers to die peacefully and have a place for their children to stay after they pass. When I entered the first room my first thoughts were, “How many mothers have died here? How long have some of these kids been here?” Everything inside me just wanted to break.
While I started to wash the windows and dust the room, the Lord reminded me of a phrase that our squad mentor spoke over our squad during Launch. “We are a people who look for a higher perspective. We are people who strive to look over the fog.” As I continued to clean I tried to find ways to shift my perspective of the room I was in. I started to remember all the smiles and joy I see on each kid’s face when I see them running around. Then I put myself in the shoes of a mother who would come here. The room suddenly went from a place of darkness and death to a space of peace and safety. A room full of unconditional love. There is no bond like a bond between a mother and child. I know every mother who was ever in these rooms felt the joy and love for their child like every other mother ever has. I also fully believe each mother felt completely at peace knowing that their child was going to grow up in a space where they would be unconditionally loved and cherished. When you meet and talk to the staff and nannies of the orphanage you can just feel the passion they have for these children. Even if you couldn’t sense their passion you would be able to see it in the faces of each child here. I promise you, you will never find children who have more joy than the ones who live there. As I continued to wash the walls and dust off the cabinets and brush away the webs and terrifyingly huge spiders I made the effort to make these rooms look the best they possibly could for the next mother who would be entering through those doors.
Sincerely,
Lillian Son
p.s. I am $1,000 away from being fully funded. I need to be fully funded by January or else I will be sent home. If you feel led please give. Even the smallest donations help.
