July 16, 2011

Girl that is
 praying to be
 healed.

I use up so much energy trying not to cry. Last night during evening devotions I could not keep from it. Thankfully no one could see me, because it was dark. I just kept asking to feel God in my life so that I can bring Him to all the children that are coming today. My plan is to thank God throughout the day for the work He has done through the Spirit in the past, and hope that will make sharing God easier/more sincere.

God, You are so good. Please calm my nerves and show me how to step out of my comfort zone and make a different in these kids lives. Set opportunities in front of me to interact with them and share Christ.  Also, I long to feel You. Thank You for my breath this morning and thank You that I am in this beautiful country.

There was a young long at the water hole yesterday when we were getting bath water. She reached up to put her full jerry can on her head and carried it back to her house with no hands. That is some outrageous talent.

The children…They are so beautiful. One young girl was being really touchy and kept hugging us. She was grabbing my hand and arms and looking at my skin when David came up and told us that he had something to tell us about her. That she had HIV and was praying to be healed. He told us to pray for her. My heart broke. I can still feel her small hands rubbing my arms and see her dark round eyes looking up at mine and through my heart. She does not deserve that. She hasn’t even had a change to live yet. I never learned her name, but she will never get out of my mind. One of the first thoughts I had was that God could be calling me to ministry to HIV children.

We had the kids split up into four groups that would travel from the stations: crafts, games, foot washing, and Bible stories. They would giggle as we tried to pronounce their names. After acquiring a sufficient sunburn during games, and bible storytelling, I went on to wash feet. I washed two little girls’ feet. It was touching to wash their feet and especially to give them new socks and shoes.

After everything we had planned for them was over, they stayed around a long time taking pictures and talking with us. They would come and tell me my hair was very nice, stroking it.

Also, when I was washing feet, there was a little boy getting a wound treated and he was crying. It was so hard to hear that. I thought that if I can hardly take the children crying now, how can I even imagine them being lost for eternity alone and weeping.