On another floor, a family was celebrating the birth of a child. The family here was overjoyed, excited, and cheerful. Some were laughing. Some were thrilled. And for some, everything seemed right with the world.
My dad had only one flight of stairs to regain his composure. For he understood that he couldn’t let the emotions of one floor, carry on to the next. He needed to be cheerful and excited for those who were cheerful and excited. He needed to celebrate the new life with the family downstairs, even though his heart was broken for the family just upstairs.
Everyday, our team goes to an orphanage and plays with the children. Some nights our team will have dinner with the children and then lead a devotion. Every afternoon at 3:30 the kids run out to meet us, throw their little arms around us, and are instantly ready to play. The older kids will give me about a hundred high fives a day. So far, we’ve played basketball everyday! I taught some to slap the court, like the Duke players do! It’s always lively and fast paced. However, everyday our hearts seem to break.
Since the first day, some of the children have asked “When is my mommy and daddy coming to get me?” And “Are you going to come back and get me after you go home?” How do you respond to that? My eyes seem to water each time one asks this. But in these moments, when our team just absolutely wants to cry, God meets us where we are with the strength to control our emotions. The children need to see us lively, laughing, ALWAYS energetic, and just as excited to see them. As much as our hearts break for these children, we still have to hold our composure and control our emotions as long as we are around them.
These children have stolen our hearts. I wish you could hear them laugh, see their beautiful smiles, and play a game of basketball with them. Pray for them. Pray for their education. Pray for their health. Pray that they will be adopted into Godly homes. And pray for the teams here. That we will be able to control our emotions each day.
