Facing the Waves

It is true that God chooses to speak to his children through a variety of avenues. He may choose to reveal Himself through a piece of art, literature, or music, through His creation, or even in silence. I have never in my life experienced His majesty so great though, as I have here through the lives of these kids. I am constantly being taught more and more about the character of God through tiny moments with the children.

This week at the beach was just as amazing as I had hoped. The kids were well behaved and we all had a blast. Besides sparing the Obrunis from our sunburns, we couldn’t have asked for anything more! There was one peculiar behavior that I noticed was common among all the children though. They all stayed in only inches of water and flopped around enjoying themselves wildly, remaining where they were comfortable, fearing the unknown. However, I decided to take one child at a time further out into larger waves. I have never felt such an unyielding grip on my arms as I did when they saw a wave, bigger than they were used to, heading towards us. There were seconds of terror followed by shouts of laughter and glee! All the while, the grip on my arms never loosened. After those first couple waves, they had full trust in me that I would not let them go. That is real faith! Clinging to the only one who can keep you from harm and trusting that they know what is best for you. More eloquently put, Oswald Chambers said, “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows and loves the one who is leading.”

Hebrews chapter 11 tells countless stories of regular people who, by faith, “conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions , quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength” (33-34). However, it also tells stories of numerous others who “were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection” (35). I pray that, while we may be clueless as to what our futures have in store, we will press on with full faith in our Creator, facing the waves and clinging tight to His arm!

This week, the child I want to share with you about is one that I have been particularly drawn to. His name is Stephen and he is 11 years old. He is an extremely lively and passionate boy with great artistic ability, leadership, and an unbelievable stubborn streak! Somehow I have been able to fight stubbornness with stubbornness and connect with him in a rewarding little friendship. He is very dear to me because I see that if his energy is directed at something positive, he has incredible potential! Please pray that God will continue to bless our friendship and guide him as he develops his various talents!

Thanks!

Love,
Lindsay

Break Time!

I am writing today having just completed the first half of the first term of my school year here at Haven of Hope! Only 4 more to go! I can’t believe how fast the time is going and can’t possibly comprehend how difficult it is going to be to leave these kids when the time comes. It has been such a joy, in just the two short months that we have been here, to see each one of the children begin to display their individual personalities with their funny quirks and attitudes. Even though the time has gone quickly, it has not been easy. This coming week we are receiving a much needed rest from the daily frustrations, the ups and downs of being in the classroom with these needy children!

School will be not be in session for the midterm break this coming week and we will have a chance to relax and do some fun things with the kids. One thing in particular, I am just as excited about as they are. On Wednesday, we are taking a trek to the beach! I am looking so forward to enjoying one of God’s most awe inspiring creations with them, some of whom have never seen the ocean before. It will be an amazing time of soccer playing, swimming, learning, and worship… and I can’t wait. And because I can’t wait, I have already begun preparations for our grand adventure. How? You may ask. Well, by painting all of the girls toenails of course! For the past few days in the afternoon, I have become the town pedicurist and I have enjoyed every tiny toe! It has been a great time to spend with the girls, pampering them and reassuring them that they are beautiful, loved by me and by God! They have just been eating it up, enjoying the one on one time and showing off their freshly colored toes to anyone who cares to listen. I know that I have enjoyed the one on one time just as much though. Fyodor Dostoyevsky once said, “The soul is healed by being with children”, and I think he nailed it! The sound of their laughter and the joyous chatter between themselves somehow helps to bring clarity to your thoughts, and delight to your heart.

Finally, this week’s child is Georgina. She is a gorgeous 10 year old girl who is a talented artist with a gentle spirit. She is a quiet leader among the girls and I pray that she will continue to grow spiritually and academically, setting a great example for the other children!

Thanks!

Love,
Lindsay

Let That Be Enough

Some moments in time stick out in your mind much more than others. It always seems that those moments, no matter how far removed from the present they become, are never any less vivid as you replay them in your head. This week, I experienced several of those moments, but the circumstances of one seemed especially precious. On Wednesday night, Elise and I headed to the boys dorm to read their nightly story. Only a couple of minutes after stepping foot in their room at about 7:30, the lights turned off for the evening. We thought about just waiting until the next evening, but due to the desperate pleas of the boys, decided to read the chapter by the light of a torch (what they call a flashlight). It was Elise’s turn to read, so I took my place along one of the other walls and was instantly surrounded by little white eyes and bright white smiles amidst the darkness. The boys in particular are always affectionate, but the extent to which they longed to be right by my side was greater than usual. As she began to read, some placed their heads on my legs, my hands, my shoulders, and stomach. They just wanted to be near, to be held, to be loved. One of the boys actually took my arm and placed it around his shoulders so my hand rested gently on his chest. I couldn’t decide whether I should cry out of joy at the privilege of being with these kids, or cry out of sorrow at the fact that the reason these boys longed to be touched so badly is because it was something they were deprived of for so long. I still don’t know which reason it was, but my eyes welled up and eventually streamed down, landing on one of the boy’s cheeks. He didn’t move. Neither did anyone else. All of them had fallen fast asleep.

Needless to say, I have been learning a lot since my arrival here. One of the lessons I keep being brought back to, is what it means to really rest in Him and not need anything more. I think that moment on the evening of October 8th was a beautiful picture of the contentment that can be found in Christ. Those boys wanted nothing from me, but to be near me. They didn’t ask for anything, not even a back rub or a blanket. They simply nuzzled themselves as close as they could and rested. I mean really rested. The Psalmist writes “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him” (62:5). Being literally hurled out of my comfort zone, there has been little to find rest in. My friends and family are many miles away and my intellect, abilities, and even my college education continually leave me longing. Thankfully, after my many failed attempts at success by my own might, I crawl back to Him and find a place to lay my head on His shoulder. There I find rest. It is only there that I find hope.

“Let me know that you hear me
Let me know your touch
Let me know that you love me
And let that be enough”
~Switchfoot

This week’s kid is the oldest boy at our home. His name is Sylvester and he is 14 years old, but cannot read at all. For most of his life, he worked small jobs on the street and tried hard to survive along with his siblings. As can be imagined, school was never really a priority. He is a passionate and caring boy who has big dreams and aspirations. He often talks of his goal to be a lawyer one day, but right now we are starting small. Please pray that progress in his academic subjects would be quick as he has much catching up to do, but more importantly that he will not lose hope in the process!

Please also continue to pray for Abdul as we attempt to contact authorities and social welfare in order to locate his father and bring about his return.

Thanks!

Love,
Lindsay

(we are now becoming recognized faces in many of the places we frequent, so the cries to Obruni are heard less often)

Soccer Mom

If the town of Medie had a newspaper, this week’s headline would read “Haven of Hope and Rafiki Split Matches!” In other words, we had the most anticipated football (soccer) matches in Medie history this weekend! Our boys and girls formed two teams and played against the boys and girls at Rafiki, the orphanage nearby. On Friday night, we pulled out 3 large bags of cleats, shin guards, and socks that had been donated, and dispersed them to as many kids as they could fit. I then told them all to be at our porch at 9:00am to begin the half hour walk to the field. Not to my surprise we heard most of them stirring around on the porch at about 7:30. Some of the kids said they couldn’t sleep because they were so excited while others said they had dreams that we beat them 1,000 to 0. The final scores were 1-0 in favor of Haven of Hope girls, and 0-2 for Rafiki boys. Now I am not a mother and don’t know what it is like to cheer for my child or applaud my own flesh and blood, but I do know that on Saturday morning, I felt like I had 30 kids of my own that were playing with all their hearts and I couldn’t have been more proud. While washing 30 little pairs of socks and smelling 30 little pairs of cleats was not that much fun, I wouldn’t have traded the whole experience for anything!

Even though the anticipation of the “big game” lasted all week, life did proceed as normal. On Thursday, another American couple arrived who will also be staying long term. Jerry and Ruth Ann Gowin will be taking over leadership of the school which is much needed. I am excited about Jerry’s urgency to get things into shape and can’t wait to see some organizational changes around here!

The child of the week this week comes with a very specific and urgent prayer request. Abdul is an 11 year old boy (another student of mine) who comes from a Muslim background. Earlier in the week, his mother came to the home for the first time in the six years that he has been here, stating that she wanted to take him for a few days so he could celebrate Ramadan. The contracts that are signed when the children are brought here allow the parents short periods of visitation off campus. Social services agreed that he could leave, under the condition that he be returned before Saturday evening. He still has not been returned. Please pray that they will return Abdul as soon as possible, or if need be, that we would all have the wisdom to deal with the situation as quickly and effectively as possible to locate him and bring him back home!

Thanks!

Love,
Obruni