"Mom, I had a dream last night, but I'm not sure what it means. In my dream it was raining outside the house, but instead of water, colorful stones were pouring down. So I went outside and picked up all the shiny stones. I brought them inside and put them on the kitchen table. Then I woke up. I don't know what the dream means".
"I know what your dreams means, Micha. Those precious stones represent the 48 children in our orphanage. God brought us here to pick them up, bring them inside and put them on display for Gods glory".
The New Life Children's Home where my world race team has been volunteering at this month is not defined as a poor orphanage of abandoned kids. There is no pity or sadness here. In fact, there's no place or time for it. It's a family unit of 48 kids. Along with "tias", cooks, guards, teachers etc. Ron and Annette run the children's home out of their obedience for God and their passion to selflessly serve. The kids and staff are all from different backgrounds. They have come over the past couple of years from different walks of life. Some abandoned, others abused. And though it might be easy to take pity on them for the hell they've been through, all they want is our smile and compassionate love. Despite, the abuse or neglect they've been through, they run around with joy and happiness dwelling in the safety of Gods protection.
Holding the little ones in my arms, I realize that despite our English-Spanish language barrier, the language of Gods selfless love is universal. And love seems to be displayed at its purest form when we take our focus off ourselves and look to serve others. When God repeats over and over in the Bible to love your neighbor over yourself, he is actually giving us the keys to his kingdom, not chains of servant hood. He gives us Love, in its purest form and we have to learn how to take hold of it.
Ron and Annette are ambitious about making this children's home sustainable. They don't want to ask people for more funding, but know that in order to serve these kids and staff well, they need more help.
What do you need prayer for? I asked Annette.
We need long term missionaries/teachers that don't even have to have a degree.
They just need to have a spirit-lead passion to serve kids and Jesus.
We need individual funding for the kids. 3-4 people $25 bucks a month per kid.
We dream of helping the kids go to college and need help purchasing school materials for them.
We need prayer for protection on these kids lives and their spiritual growth and ours as well.
I prayed for her and told my team. And with this I realized that life is so much bigger than our busy always on the go lives. Life is supposed to be a great adventure of little and big life changing journeys. And when we give our lives to God then he can finally show us our purpose in it.
For years I have been on the search for the purpose of my life, but it wasn't till I found my identity in God that I finally came ALIVE in my life. Seems like words of a crazy person. Yet, crazy is when you discover that the whole Jesus Christianity thing is beyond the categorical box we place it in at back of our closet.
"Where fear is present, freedom can't be".
"Hi" from Honduras! I'm off to turning 25 in Guatemala.
I hope the title caught your attention! Let's just say getting sick with a friend on Day 6, made for some hilarious memories.
