There are so many lessons that God is still teaching me, and I would like to break it up by the three things that affected me most while down there.
~The Children ~ The Hopeful ~ The Quiet~
Today, I would like to share with you the children God sent.
But first, I'd like to be real with you. When we first arrived, and had to sit on a bus for oh... 5-6 hours waiting for the rest of our team's planes to arrive, the panic started to set in. I was in a foreign, third world country, that needed my help, and I am so small... The humidity was unreal, showers were 2 minutes or less, electricity was rare, and let's just say the food made me a vegetarian that week. Do not get me wrong, I was very thankful and blessed to be in a place where I always felt safe, where hot meals were provided, where I could take a shower, and then relax in the shade, and where I could grow with my teammates and discover where God was moving us together and as individuals. But for five days, I was uncomfortable. God had taken me away from my friends and family, and thrown me right down in a struggling society that had always seemed unreal. And I was scared...
For the first three days, during the afternoon, we would walk down dirt roads, between crumbling homes, down alley ways, and around the corner into a dark church that resembled a concrete vault or even a cave. While it did provide us some comfort being in the cool shade, the dampness clung to our already sweating bodies. And that is where we meet the children. They would come alone or with their friends or siblings, and they would come without their parents guidance. There were 5 year olds that were in charge of caring for their 3 year old little brother or sister. Can you imagine being 5 years old and having all the responsibility of bringing your 3 year old sibling to church??
Those three days, we did VBS with the children in the area. While we had only prepared for 60-75 children to show up, God brought over 100 each day, and that church was filled with tiny hearts that wanted someone to love on them and show them hope. We did lessons with them and memorized verses with them. We did crafts, and sang songs... And each day a few more lives were added to the Kingdom.
I remember one small girl in particular. Each day she would come into the church, take a seat on one of the benches or chairs, and fall asleep.
Isn't she darling? The first day she was there, she was nodding off on one of the benches, and I mean quite literally nodding off. Her little head would roll to the side and she'd be inches from tumbling right off the. So that first day, I picked her up, and let her take her nap right there in my arms. Together, I'm pretty sure the heat we produced was close to fire. But to see her relax into my arms, and see her feel safe was everything.
Another day, we did a small service for the women of the community, to come and learn how to bring unity into the home. We knew this would be a rough topic for those women that worked hard, and did not feel as if they should submit to an unbelieving husband, and that is why we prayed. During the service, there were three girls from our team in the back of the church praying at all times. Near the end of the service, I went to back and began to pray. Not only had I struggled to do this since arriving, but God had a plan for me there.
I prayed and I prayed, and after a while, I felt someone sit down beside me. I peeked to see who it was, and there was a young girl there. She smiled at me, and I smiled back, and then I continued my prayer. And slowly, but oh so surely, she scooted a little closer... And a little closer still, until she was right next to me. Leg to leg, arm to arm. And she reached over, and she put her little hand on my knee. And God told me to pray for her. So I held her hand, and she held mine, and we sat there together until the service ended. And if you know me, you know that I cried, of course. Without words, we were able to communicate love, and understanding to one another. I later found out her name was Anna, and that she was one of the seven children to the pastor of the church. And each day we came to the church, she would come to me and smile. And I have high hopes for her.
Alright now, were almost to the end of this part. But there is one more story I would like to share. The very last day we were in Haiti, we spent the morning at an orphanage for little girls. I wish so mush, that we would have had more time to spend with them, because these were girls so young, and they had never experienced the love only a parent can share. So that morning, as we prepared to see these girls, our team leader told us, "It is sad to see, but your job is to go in there, and love on these children. Be their mother, be their sister, be their friend. Be whatever love, they need you to be." And we did. We wrapped these girls in our arms, we shared to story of David and Goliath, we played games with them, we sang songs with them, we offered clothes. And when we found out they were running low on food, we went out and bought bags of rice and beans for them. At the end of our service, the girls were asked if any of them wanted to "ask Jesus into their hearts." And guess who was privileged to pray for the ones that did? Little ol me.
It went a little something like this. "God, meet these little ones right here. Meet them right where they need you. Comfort their hearts when they are scared and lonely, and show them love that only you can provide. Give them hope for their futures, and keep them safe. Lord, guide them for the rest of their lives, so that when the time comes, they can be right there with you."
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
~Matthew 19:14~
His Child,
Symone Lin
