The past few weeks being home have left me with a longing, a desire to see a change in the world. The change that I know God wants me to press into and discover is found in work with children, orphans specifically. Something about these small, innocent children grabbed hold of me over the past year and would not let go. They exhibited characteristics that I had not seen from children before. It took me some time to see it, but as soon as I did I was forever changed. What I saw was the incorruptible spirits of children. Wherever I went around the world children all had this same spirit inside of them. Because of this, they all show us glimpses of Jesus in their lives. I want to highlight 7 kids I had the honor of playing with, holding, and sharing Jesus with.
1. Ido: A little boy in the Dominican Republic, one of the first I met. He showed me that even the smallest people have enormous amounts of strength.
2. Julne: A young girl in Haiti paralyzed from the waist down. She showed me how compassion should drive us each day to love one another.
3. Antony: Antony is a young boy from Honduras. He taught me that children just want to laugh, simple as that.
4. Oliver: A joy-filled girl from Malawi. She showed me that even with very little, people can have a continuous source of happiness.
5. Ebony: Another beautiful little girl from Malawi. She showed me that even children care strongly for family, she especially for her younger sister Jessica.
6. Eto: A ambitious boy from Thailand. He taught me that children desire someone to look up to, a role model to shape their lives after.
7. Rosa: A young girl from a village in Cambodia. She taught me that children have a fearlessness mindset, always taking risks in life and having faith.
All of these kids taught me lessons large and small. They were from different parts of the world, but all shared the same incorruptible spirit. They are kids, and they want to be like kids. Nothing can take that from them, they just get caught up in harsh circumstances. They want to play, run, laugh, and look up to people. I have fallen in love with kids, they bring joy to my heart. My calling is to help them. I want them to see they are sons and daughters in Jesus Christ, and He calls all His children to Him. All of them are from different backgrounds and different situations, but all of them can be sons and daughters. I want them all to know that.
I am beginning the process of getting where God wants me to be. I am enrolling in the Center for Global Calling through Adventures in Missions. This program will help prepare me for being on the field longterm over the next year. I will also have the opportunity to go back to Guatemala and work with the Adventures base. They work with orphans in the Antigua area, calling them to be sons and daughters. I am beginning to fundraise for this next part of the journey God has me on. I am looking for people to come alongside me as believers that children all around the world need people there for them. Children are God’s creation and they deserve love and affection. Join me in helping them have this opportunity, every donation helps to achieve this goal.
