As the team has some extra time today until dinner, we have all been given an opportunity to catch up on some emails and I wanted to take this opportunity to post here and to say thank you to the numerous people that have prayed for this team that I have never met. Prayers have been answered, and God has given us some much needed rest after traveling, as well as extraordinarily smooth travels!
Sunday, Aiman, our translator took us to the church that she attends. I was not at all sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised to find many English speaking members, including the pastor and his daughter (who translated the sermon for us). When we arrived, I could hear the music playing out of the open windows and was astonished to hear familiar tunes - Shout to the Lord, Refiner's Fire, Jesus My Jesus being sung in Russian. It was such a beautiful, awe inspiring sound to hear foreign voices praising our God in a familiar, yet unfamiliar way. Same tune, new words. The sermon was on 2 Kings, and about renewing our committment to study God's word. It was particularly focused on how the lost book of Deut. was found and how the Israelites were punished by God for worshipping idols because of the loss of this book, and the re-discovery of God's law and how we should find ways to rediscover God's word and renew the fire that we should have burning in our heart for Him.
That is what this trip has done for me. Seeing the children today of course broke my heart. I left in tears (as I knew that I would) when a beautiful blonde headed little girl asked if we were there to bring anyone new mommies and daddies. I have always had a heart of compassion for children, especially hurting children. When I saw these children today, it was as if God whispered to me - this is the same tune, but these children are new words - meaning, even though they are abandoned, they are dirty, they are unwanted, they don't speak English - I want them & I love them!! For the longest time, I had really wondered why God wanted me to come on this trip. I know now that it is to help. In whatever way I can, I am here to help. If it is giving hugs, or handing out shoes, or giving them a piece of candy, or making a craft with them, or installing bathroom tile (which will not happen this time) this experience has rekindled a fire in my heart for serving God in a new way that I didn't ever think possible. I don't know on which path God will lead me, whether it is adopting a child of our own, or returning to lead other teams to serve these orphanages, or getting involved with organizations like Hadassah's Hope in Texas, but if there is one emotion that I feel, it is urgency. Urgent to reach these children for Christ and to let them know that despite of their conditon, that his love for him is abounding!
That's all for, now - we are headed off to dinner and to do some planning for a day with the children tomorrow. Please pray that we can be given some solid opportunities to share Christ's love with these children and that the barrier of language will come down.
With much love and extreme gratitude,
Jenny
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