Monday, October 11, 2010

Prepare The Way Of The Lord


I’ve been at the Greenfield Children’s home in Roatan, Honduras for 2 weeks now—and it has been an adventure already. The first day I was dog piled by all 16 children and could barely breathe. I wish I could have a picture of that moment. I soon realized that every child was asking me how long I was going to be visiting for and when I was leaving. I began to understand that these kids are so used to people coming and visiting for a week at a time, and then leaving. They’ve not really had many constant adult relationships. They’re mentality is that people come for a short time, and then leave. When I explained that I would be here for a many months, the smiles that came across their faces and screams were priceless.  I have gotten to know the parents who run the Children’s Home and God has truly blessed me with amazing Spirit filled Christian role models. They are constantly pursuing God’s will for the children’s home. We have devotionals at 9 in the morning (all in Spanish of course) and it’s been SO encouraging to see how everyone who works here is passionate about serving God. On Sunday’s we go to an all Spanish speaking church that is outside and lasts for 3 long hours. Hopefully one day I will post of picture to show you how everyone at this church is crying out for more of God.  People are showing up in school buses to pile under this shelter and literally crying and lifting hands out for God. Although I understand absolutely none of the Spanish, I can feel the Lord’s presence moving among His people.  The other women who work here speak only Spanish, so every morning I’ve spent an hour teaching them basic English- and trust me, it’s been hilarious for sure. A lot of the children have some degree of a learning disability, and I’ve been able to work with them one on one.
                I have gotten to know the children’s personalities and been able to establish relationships with each one. Each child has come from a very traumatic background and it is heart breaking to hear about each one.  Recently, God placed an opportunity for me to be able to talk with a young girl named Destiny, about her life before coming to the Children’s Home.  The opportunity was not obvious; it kind of just fell in my lap. I was taking Destiny to my room to talk with her about her attitude towards the other kids. And as I began to talk with her, she just started tearing up and telling about how her mom and dad used to abuse her. Her Dad would come home drunk and tell her she was not worth anything, and in Destiny’s words, she said “I could see the Devil in his eyes”.  I could feel the Lord telling me to share His Love for her. I got to pray with her and ask the Lord to begin a healing process in her heart.  When it came time for Destiny to pray, she said the most sweet, innocent and childlike prayer that brought me to tears. She prayed forgiveness for her parents and that God would bless them and not allow any harm to come to them. She also prayed for the poor and also that God would be with everyone she didn’t know. Talk about a childlike heart. I was amazed at how selfless this girls prayer was after the things she had just revealed to me.
                I am in the middle of establishing my authority with the kids, and so with that comes a lot of discipline. I’ve seen that the children don’t really have a sense of boundaries on what is acceptable and what is not. There is a lot of hitting, kicking, and screaming. I am trying to show the children that they are all brothers and sisters, and that it is not O.K. to fight against each other. I have been able to get through to a lot of the children, and have already seen a huge difference in the kids. I’ve seen some of the toughest kids change their whole attitude once I get to sit down and express how much I love them. Now I can’t stop smiling whenever I walk into a room and they run up to hug me. I am so thankful that I am able to pour out love on these children with no restraints. I feel so blessed and honored that I get to be an influence on their lives. The Lord’s love is so present here, and I feel there is a huge harvest in front of me. I’m so excited to see how the Lord will continue to move here! Please continue to pray for us.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers”
-Galatians 6:9-10

1 comment:

  1. I pray that God opens doors because you have shown your a willing servant for Him. Please be discerning of what God's will is. You have many young lives who's spiritual futures depend on you using the wisdom of God's word. Pray often and listen more often. I love you!

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