I apologize I wasn’t able to get a new post up last week! I was in Texas for the week and had a busy schedule! BUT…I hope you enjoy this blog and that this post touches you in way that makes you want to step out and care for the orphans and needy around the world...
Today we spent the morning visiting with the children at the second prison. As I mentioned in my last post, I was going to explain more about this situation but because I want to protect Sixty Feet as much as I can—I will not be blogging about the specific details of the prison and the children. I want to protect Sixty Feet as much as I can because of the great work they are doing. So if you still want to learn more and know about Sixty Feet, please feel free to check out their website at www.sixtyfeet.org or email me and I will share more information in private with you. However, just so that everyone is clear…these children either did something “wrong” and so that is why they are at this location…otherwise they are either orphans and have no where else to go. In this case, they stay here and are not in trouble by any means…but they stay because at least here they get a meal and have somewhere to sleep.
As we were driving to our second location…I had time to sit and look out my window and pray that God would prepare my heart. I was so extremely touched from the day before and I wasn’t sure how much more my heart could handle—Honestly!!! This was only our fourth day in the country and my heart was already broken by all that it had seen and heard. But at the same time—My heart was JOYFUL and THANKFUL that God choose me to come and be LOVE to the people and children I met.
What a warm welcome!
We pulled up to the second location and were able to get a tour of the building. We signed in and waited until they were ready for us. I remember looking around the buildings wishing I could just remodel and paint the whole thing. I wanted to paint warm…bright—encouraging pictures and poems on the wall to remind these children that there is ALWAYS HOPE in our Lord Jesus Christ. And although I don’t know all of their situations…I can only imagine how HEART BREAKING they all are. Our whole visit at this location just really tugged at my heart. Here we are—a bus of 22 rich, white Americans. And although we may not have a TON of money and we may not even be considered to be wealthy in America. But let me tell you, walking into this place and seeing how poor and how little all of these people and children have…I couldn’t help but get sick to my stomach. After signing in we had heard that there were around 220 NEW KIDS that came in JUST last night. Our team had been expected to do a craft with these children—but we had packed for the number that we had been told where there. But what—220 New Kids?!?! One of our team leaders quietly told us how this is definitely a GOD SIGN because these people will randomly go out into the surrounding areas to pick up children who are left alone on the streets…who are hungry and starving for food….YES—STARVING! So hungry to the point that their little stomachs are just ACHING and HURTING for just a piece of bread—anything to help make that horrible pain go away!! …So, last night the staff decided to for the heck of it go and see if there were any children. And there were more than a few…there were 220!
We walked into our next building—the building where these children sang and praised their Heavenly Father. And when I say they sang and praised…I mean…with ALL THAT WAS IN THEIR HEART AND SOUL---they ALL SANG out to GOD! And WORSHIPPED Him in a way that I had never seen before!!! This is the moment that I lost it. Our whole team was standing there with them…praising God right beside them. And although we couldn’t understand what they were singing or saying…we could definitely SEE it! So smiled…clapped and swayed along with them…and as we did this…our whole entire team completely lost it. This moment…standing there with them…seeing how devoted and how serious they were about their worship with God….was something I will never forget. It took my breath away and left me feeling absolutely amazed! After they sang their songs…it was time for us to share some new songs with them. One of the songs we sang with them was such a powerful song. It has actions to go along with it and our team leader started and we all echoed. The song went like this: “I will pray….In Jesus Name…And believe…Things will change…I will pray…In Jesus Name…And Believe…Things will Change…For I know Jesus hears me when I pray…So I won’t worry or be afraid….I will pray…In Jesus Name…and Believe….Things will Change…”
I wish you could all hear how this song went…how touching it truly is! Just imagine all of these children singing these lyrics…and what this song really means to them. It was so hard for me to actually sing because all I wanted to do was fall to my knees and cry my eyes out!
After our worship time we told the kids that we had an art project to do with them. We were going to give them all a new t-shirt and they were going to use fabric and foam paint to color, draw and write on it. Ok…let me just stop right there. We gave them cheap—simple—solid t-shirts and their faces just LIT UP!!! They were SOOO SO EXCITED to be getting a BRAND NEW T-SHIRT…JUST FOR THEM!!!! :) This is again when I start to feel sick to my stomach to think of how much we have here in America and how SPOILED we are and how we don’t appreciate all that we have!
All the kids made a long line as they waited as myself and about 3 other ladies searched through the colors and sizes to give them their perfect shirt. We had a suitcase full of t-shirts…and in the middle of the line…we told one of our team leaders that we were nervous we weren’t going to have enough t-shirts because there were still SO many kids left. She looked at us and said “You guys, PRAY! Pray like you’ve never prayed before!” (As I am writing this, I STILL get chills all over my body!) So we all looked at each other and did what she told us…we PRAYED! Now, to some of you reading this, you may be wondering, well if you don’t have enough t-shirts then oh well…it’s not the end of the world, it’s just a t-shirt. BUT…a t-shirt to them is a HUGE thing and to them this would have BROKE their hearts!!! How could we pass out t-shirts to 200 of them and leave 20 without? I couldn’t do it. So I prayed…and prayed…and PRAYED! We were getting down to about 20 kids…then 15…and we kept looking at each other…then we had about 9 kids left…waiting there. Diana, our team leader, came over and we looked at our empty suitcase and we looked at the 9 kids still waiting in line…and we looked at Diana and simply said “We don’t have any more….” It was as if the time just STOPPED…because we didn’t want to turn to those kids and break their hearts…Then all of a sudden, one of the ladies I was standing next to—Allison, looked through the pockets again—expect she had already done this probably 3-4 times before just to make sure that there were NO other shirts. Then all of a sudden she unzipped a small pocket in the front and PULLED a handful of t-shirts out! We all just started FREAKING out!!!! ….What?...WHAT?....I couldn’t even believe it!!! I kept asking—Where in THE WORLD did those t-shirts come from?!?! And as we found them and pulled them out..I lost it! Doneva, another sweet team member, was across the table from me and she as well was crying. I can’t even tell you how this was such a HUGE GOD THING because we had checked those pockets…we all had. We kept saying...are you SURE they are all gone. Let’s look one more time. Then out of nowhere…Allison found a few more!! AND…She grabbed 10 t-shirts out of the small pocket because after going through the line there was ONE t-shirt left over. OH…MY! GOD…is GREAT…ALL THE TIME!!!!! He KNEW we weren’t expecting to have this many children today…But He knew that these children needed US more than anything! Because as I got my composure…and as I walked around looking at all of their t-shirts they were making…and what they were writing on them…I could tell that they hadn’t been this long in a very…VERY long time. I had even heard one of them say “This was the happiest day he had ever had!” ….Wow…BREAK…MY…HEART!
This little boy above, Robert, had special needs…It BROKE my heart..Honestly, I felt SO helpless because it looked like he was so sick…so hungry…so broken…and I couldn’t do anything to help him.
After the t-shirts our team went outside and handed out bubbles…and soccer balls…and sidewalk chalk….AND these kids had the greatest time ever! Here are some pictures of the children playing…They are all so precious and deserve so much more than they have!
“With 6 billion human beings inhabiting our planet, individuals sometimes feel insignificant and doubt that one person can really make a difference in this world. Well, believe me, one person can.” –Mary Kay Ash
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