always, always orphans

Yesterday I joined Chrissy and Alfonso to teach Bible to the children at Fundaniños Orphanage.  Even before I had a team of people helping me I was visiting that orphanage weekly and teaching Bible to the kids.  The children at Fundaniños have a way of getting inside your heart and staying there permanently!  Any of the volunteers or ex-volunteers there will tell you so.

I was thrilled to finally be headed back to teach the Bible class at this place so dear to my heart.  I left home before 7am, much to Corban's dismay, in order to be at the mission base (ABA) before 7:30am.  After a quick prayer Chrissy, Alfonso, and I headed off on foot for the orphanage.  It is about a 30 minute walk, and very invigorating with all that fresh air.

As we reached the edge of town the diesel fumes, barking dogs, and general noise of the town slowly faded away to be replaced by the clucking of hens and the gurgling of water in a nearby stream.

The road to Fundaniños is a dirt road with little traffic other than pedestrians such as ourselves.  We walked along, thankful for the cloudy day.  Banana trees along the road were bare, a sign of the changing seasons.  Cows in roadside pastures turned to stare at us while chewing their cuds.

While on the other side of the road a poor farmer worked his land by hand.  His crop will most likely be corn which he will use to provide for his family.  With the corn they can make tortillas, tamales, atol de elote, among other things. 
We waved a greeting to him as we passed by.  On our way back home 2 hours later he was still working and a fellow worker had a small boy (maybe 4 years old) on the side of the road squatting down to deficate.  How disgusting... why they didn't at least go away from the road and into a grove of trees is beyond me (or better yet, a short walk to the family's outhouse) and only shows the effect ignorance can have on a society (its cleanliness, diseases, social graces, etc).

After about 30 minutes we arrived at the orphange.  The children ran out to greet Alfonso and Chrissy.  These children are always so ready to give and recieve love.  Almost every one of these children is here because of severe child abuse in the home.  It is like they want to make up for all the love they missed out on for so many years. 

Friendly greetings, warm hugs, plenty of laughter, and then it was time to start class. 











Games helped us to teach an important Bible truth: God promises to take care of us.  We learned a Bible verse (Matt 6:32) and had a time of worship.  Since this orphanage is Christian they are very open to allowing us to teach the whole Word of God and allowing us to pray with and for the children. 

During the worship time there was a sweet presence of God as some of the children lifted their hands to the Lord.  Of course, when you have that many children of all ages... you can imagine that while some were absorbed in worship others were whispering, smaller children were fidgeting, and a few looking around to see what everyone else was doing.  Even so, the presence of the Lord was there and we all felt it. 

Once class was over we took a few minutes to speak to the children one on one.  Thanking them for coming to class, reminding them of the promises of God for their lives... Below I will share with you a little about a couple of the kids.

Maribel is 16 years old.  She looks younger than her age, but she has lived far more than most 16 year olds.  She is already a mother.  The father of the baby was Maribel's own father.  After suffering years of abuse she discovered she was expecting a child and finally was removed from the home.  When class was over she came over and gave me a huge, strong hug.  Almost as if she was clinging on for dear life.  "I love you.  Please come back again." she whispered in my ear.  What do you say to a child in this situation????  I told her that she was not an accident.  She was born with a God-given purpose.  God has a divine purpose and destiny for her.  Her life blesses many people.  God loves her and has many wonderful promises for her life.  A smile shone on her face as she wiped tears from her eyes.  Turning to leave reminding me to please come back.

I don't remember this little guy's name.  He is 4 years old, although malnutrition make him appear younger.  He has been at the orphanage for about a month now.  Although outwardly he appears mostly content, there is a shadow in his look that tells of a horrific tale.  When police found this child a little over a month ago  he was beaten black and blue- literally.  Swollen eyes and burned fingers and toes were only a part of the problem.  There was barely an inch of his body that wasn't damaged in some way.  He is missing several toes now- a constant reminder of the torture he has endured. 

These are just a couple of stories.  Each child has his/her own story to tell.  While we are not their constant caregivers, we do visit weekly to remind them that regardless of their past- GOD IS HERE FOR THEM.    Like Jonah who found refuge in the belly of the fish God has brought them to Fundaniños to find refuge.  Like Jonah who needed that place of refuge to hear God's voice clearly, now they, too, can grow in their relationsip with the Lord and learn of all the GOOD things that He has for them.  I love Jer. 29:11 which promises us that God's plans for us (all of us) are for GOOD and NOT for evil......  May God help us to always have to right word of healing for these precious lives.  Pray for us as we continue to reach them with God's word and God's love.