| You are entering Spring while we enter Winter, with a great sigh of relief for the cooler nights, and gentler days. I cannot really say ‘cooler’ days, as you might get the wrong idea…we are still in the upper 30s most days! I have been thinking about how much of my Easter thought has been tied to the seasons. Spring and Easter seem to go together so well, with tulips and daffodils poking through the last of the snow, and new life beginning all around you! However, perhaps the marriage of Spring and Easter can lead to deception, when easter bunnies and chocolate feasts steal the glory that belongs to Jesus alone. |
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As we enter winter here, we have been enjoying a very different demonstration of God’s power to resurrect. We now have sixteen children whom we love, besides the three who resemble us too. They come to us from a variety of places. One or two were raised in loving homes where their parents took time to play and laugh with them. The rest have not known love, nor even care. Unwilling and sometimes distant relatives grudgingly took them in on the death of their parents. They were treated badly, and often left to survive without proper clothing or food. Some were forced to beg for their daily food from those around them. Some failed to develop as they should have because of poor nutrition and a lack of love. |
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The process of finding and bringing home these children takes time. Our pastors, or one of our workers, tell us of a situation. Mo and Peter head out to find out the story. This can take a long time through translation. If there are any living relatives they must give permission. The chief must verify the situation and give his permission.
You might expect the children to cry on leaving everything they have known, but they do not. Perhaps they know in their hearts that there is more to life than mere survival. Most come with nothing but the clothes they wear. Some come with a ragged old sheet or sweater. Mo brought home two new children recently. On the drive home, he asked them if they would like to choose a new name for their new home. Their original Chichewa names that translated into English as ‘What have I done wrong?’ and ‘Why do you hate me?’ They chose Agnes and Isaak, as they left the old behind, and took on the new. At home, they were greeted by the smiling faces of their new brothers and sisters. |
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Everything is new. Soap to wash with, a towel to dry off with, a choice of clothes, a pair of shoes, a toothbrush and toothpaste (what do you do with that?), and a bed of your own with a mosquito net. Kalina loves to help in finding just the right size clothes for each girl. It is a joy to go through the boxes you have sent and find something perfect. Showered and dressed, it is time for dinner…a plate of nsima and beans for everyone. Tonight Isaak will sleep in his own bed for the first time in his life, without fear of abuse or rejection. Is this not the love of God, played out in the life of a child? Is this not the same power which raised Jesus from the dead? |
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As days and weeks pass, children who literally could not walk begin to run. Children who could not talk will not stop. Children who knew only tears begin to laugh. Laughter rings out in our backyard as I write. The girls are playing on the climbing frame, and building with duplo, while the boys play soccer on the field. One of my delights is to listen to the awakening of an imagination. When first faced with duplo or lego, the children simply build. Putting the pieces together is enough of a challenge. Some time later the pieces are formed into a house or a Pinzgauer (the most well known vehicle in our region!). Weeks later, a story begins to develop, and the people begin to talk to each other. I am in awe as I listen! |
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Starved of a parents’ love, a child cannot imagine or hope. ‘What would you like to do?’ is a question without an answer. We are like that without the love of our heavenly Father. Though we dream, our dreams are confined to the possible, tainted with reality. With his love, our dreams can be limitless, far beyond our wildest imaginings. When we see these children growing into love, we know that God’s desire is for every lost and lonely child to be welcomed and cared for. These children are not confined to Africa….they live on your street, go to school with your children, and they suffer daily for lack of love. We daily need to abide in Christ, live in his love, so that we have plenty to offer the starving who surround us. |
