We have been trusting God with all of our plans and begging Him to lead us as we have carried 15 crates to Swaziland with grandious plans to have stations with sports, art, pictures, and Bible story. Daily, we have committed this trip to Him and placed the details of this day in His hands. Our plans were didn’t really look the way we thought they would, but they were perfect!
Well…we arrived at Ruby’s carepoint today. It is a large grassy lot with a wooden structure that houses an area where Ruby and three other Gogo’s start a fire and begin meal preparation for the day. When we arrived, only a couple of children were already at the carepoint. We immediately walked to meet Ruby and it was very apparent that God had captured her heart for these children. She is over 80, raising orphans herself, and she cooks 2 meals DAILY for over 120 children. She knows them by name, she trains them, and she is providing hope for these children through God’s provision of sponsorship through many of you reading this blog at this time. Before the afternoon meal, she led the children in praise and worship, and they asked a blessing for the food in unison. We had goosebumps and tears streaming down our faces as we listened to these precious children praising our Lord through song! We’re hoping to have this video tonight for you. If not, we will load it later for you to see.
Throughout the day, older children walked to the carepoint carrying smaller children on their backs. They wash their own dishes, feed their siblings, and continue to care for them while all of the other children play. It was so wonderful to be able to walk over to these caregivers (children themselves) and take the small child so they could play. One 13 year old girl was caring for her mentally disabled 5 yr. old sister. As lunch was being served, we offered to care for her younger sister and feed her. The children have to share their bowls, and we were waiting to find a bowl for this little girl. In the process, Ruby ran out of food without knowing this child had not eaten. When she realized she had no food, she offered her plate for the child. One of the disciples took half of Ruby’s food, but Ruby insisted that she take it all. That really is only a small picture of this woman’s heart!
Earlier in the day, a small child entered the carepoint with his two sisters. He wouldn’t really talk with anyone and barely looked up as an adult spoke with him. We continually tried to reach out to him. Finally, he allowed one of our team members to hold him. He laid his head on her chest, and after a while, she held him on her knees and began to scratch his little back. Within minutes, he erupted with laughter. After playing with bubbles and continued giggles, he looked with his big brown eyes at her and said, “Hold me like a baby!” Of course, she did…for over an hour. By mid day, he was talking and laughing with the adults, continuously giving hugs and kisses, wearing sunglasses upside down on his head, and just endearing every heart that he met. Kriek was amazed by the transformation of this child in a day. He was the same baby that Scott Hall saw on the back of his sister who was 5 when Scott saw them nearly 2 years ago. Kriek explained that she had never heard him talk and couldn’t believe how he was interacting with the group.
So, our plans didn’t go as we expected, but we did have lots of sports, we did take pictures, we even planeted a garden, we did have them make pictures, there was Bible study, there was lots of singing, there were lots of hugs and kisses, there was even more cuddling and holding, and there were hearts melting in each of us. We’re here to help be the hands and feet of Jesus for these children, but we are finding that we are receiving so much than we are able to give!
Please pray for these children that they will not only come to receive food each day, but that they will receive the love of the disciples visiting them each week and the unconditional love of the Father in way they have not ever experienced before! We distribute shoes and t-shirts to these children tomorrow. Pray that God will help us do this in an orderly fashion and still allow lots of time for more cuddling and kisses!
By the way, we print your comments and share them with the team as we pray at the end of the day. They really mean more than you will ever know! Thank you for taking the tme to share!