How hard would my heart be if I had experienced extreme trauma and abuse at the hands of my closest family members? How little would I trust? I can only imagine.
This month, I have had the privilege and honor of stepping into the daily life of 28 beautiful kids. The trauma and abuse that these kids have suffered blows my mind. Not just because it is hard for me to imagine these sweet kids being treated that way, but also because of the way that they have received us, strangers and outsiders, with absolute love, reception, and acceptance. Anything other than the reserve, distrust, and walls I would expect to have had I walked even a day in the shoes that they have worn their whole lives. They are warm, and joyful, and smiley everyday. In spite of their circumstances, they have formed a family here, and they have allowed us to step into it as well. They even call me sister Nat.
For some members of my team, our day starts nice and early around 5:45 AM. At 6:00 AM we walk from our house about 20 feet to the children’s home where drowsy little ones already mill through the hallways, getting out of the bath and fussing to get their school uniforms in order. We help with homework, put off until the last possible moment. We get the babies in their daily outfits, and try to stay out of the way as the older kids do their daily chores.
After they have eaten their breakfast, we all head to school around 7:45. School starts at 8:00, and there have been more than a few occasions that we have all been seen running hand-in-hand over city bridges with our kiddos hoping not to be late.
They return home from school a little after 2:00 PM, and then it’s time for lunch and an afternoon of playing, hugs, and giggles. We round up the little ‘uns at 5:00 for their baths and then it’s time for a movie, more homework, or a time of singing before dinner. After dinner we say the Lord’s Prayer, and watch them tuck themselves into bed before falling asleep. The next day, repeat.
For us, this is a month of our life. A month of our race. One of the six countries we will be serving the Lord, hoping to love others the way that Jesus has first loved us. But for these kids, this is their entire lives, at least for the time being. I remember when we first arrived in Lesotho I said a brave prayer. I asked that the Lord would break my heart for these kids the way that his breaks for them. That he would stir my compassion for them the way that his compassion is stirred for them all the time. He has been faithful to do so, and I praise God that I have been able to walk in empathy as much in the shoes of these precious children of God as much as I can. I continue to pray that God would stir their affection for Him, guard and protect, and provide for them. I know that he is faithful to do so even as we prepare our hearts to leave, trusting that these children that have come to mean so much to us are safe in the hands of Father, where they have been all along.
