I can’t wait.
I can’t wait to see and hear about how the children here in Hogar Miqueas will have grown and united as a family, how spiritually strong they will have become. I really can’t wait!
I want them to learn how God has designed them, for what He has purposed them, and how unconditionally loved they are.
It’s crazy to observe how different all of these kids are from one another, yet how much past brokenness they share in common. Really, we as a body of Christ are pretty similar to these kids. We have vastly different biological families and experiences, yet we come together with the same kind of scarred, broken hearts- the kind that only God can mend. We selfishly argue over trivial things and act quite immaturely, forgetting or sometimes not even knowing our purpose. We have unique characters and gifts that can harm others when abused but can build others up when operated at full potential.
There’s one girl here named *Emma, and she totally grows my desire for these children to become a family of leaders and positive examples. I see so much potential in her. She’s a natural leader not only by age, as she’s the oldest female (11 years old), but also by character. Emma is independent and strong, and she basically helps raise all the little ones. She has her fair share of chores but she also chooses to help clothe and get the kids ready for school. They all follow her without question, and she often takes charge without question. Emma’s influence on them is larger than any of them realize now, so she is a constant example, whether she chooses to be or not. She was even the one who showed my team around on our first day, helping us learn names and giving us the inside scoop on how things work around here.
But of course, Emma is still a kid herself. She has her moments and her attitudes, as a few of us witnessed last week. She was in what started out as a brief time-out for doing something she knew was wrong. But her frustration and unwillingness to sit through it was more than evident. Erin and I tried talking to her calmly, but all she kept saying was, When can I get out of here? I don’t want to listen to you guys anymore. I asked if we could pray with her, but she refused. Eventually, she got up out of her time-out chair and wandered around the room. We didn’t stop her, so she took the liberty of leaving the room. Erin and I immediately started praying over her and the situation, feeling pretty defeated at that point. The prayer was great, and about 10 minutes into it, we were interrupted by Emma, who had come back of her own accord to apologize. I gave her a big hug. I love you. You know that, right? She nodded.
Wait. Really? Did that just happen?
We were so pleased at this unexpected gift that we barely knew what to say! Apology or not, I know God wouldn’t have seen our efforts as a failure. But now we knew for sure that He’d done something to soften Emma. And I can’t help but wonder how amazing it’ll be when she is better able to channel her strength and wit for God’s glory. It’s obvious that she’s such a special young woman, and I hope she takes heart in God’s awesome plans for her and her 38 siblings.
The whole thing hit close to home for me because it brought me back to my own defiant moments, my bad attitude with my mom. Knowing I’d done something less than great, being upset at myself about it, but still feeling frustrated that I had to go through punishment. But it makes me even more unspeakably grateful that my heavenly Daddy is slow to anger. He’s patient with me, never turns His back on me, and only wants the best for me. My tantrums don’t faze Him a bit. It’s ridiculous. He is TOO good… I want to extend even a fraction of that grace and patience to the children I encounter.
*(name changed for blog)
