Today we have officially made it to 61 kids. CRAY. One of our children is currently in the hospital so I guess there is 60 on campus. The boy who is in the hospital is about 6 weeks old and half the weight he was when he was born. I have never seen such a tiny baby! He hasn't been able to keep his bottles down so in the hospital they are feeding him through a tube so be can get back to a normal weight. Yesterday I went along with the Azuza Pacific team to the hospital to visit him. While we were there we were able to visit with some of the other children and mothers that were there. There was also a 5 year old boy there who is also an orphan but is staying at a different care center. You tell he was in so much pain and it just broke my hear that there was nothing I could to to make him feel better. We took some time to pray over a few of the kids and its amazing how saying, "I trust YOU, Lord!" can ease some of your hurt. I left the hospital yesterday with mixed emotions. I was joyful knowing the Lord was still watching over these children even through this hard time, yet sad that these children were going through so much pain without many people around who really care about them. I remember when I first got here I didn't know how exactly to react when my heart was constantly aching for people around me. The burden became very heavy and it made me just want to be sad all the time. I thought being sad was how I was supposed to react even though I didn't like it. I have learned to be okay with being sad sometimes but also how to find little pieces of joy to cling to when I hear about or see things that are hard. In a place like Lesotho if you only focus on the negative it can really get you down. Instead focus of the joy of the moments and the beautiful promises in scripture.
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" -John 14:18
On Friday we had the staff Christmas party and I have never experienced such a joyful celebration. Everyone was dancing, laughing, singing, and praising the Lord. I just didn't want the party to end! All the staff got little Christmas gifts and a small bonus. One of my house mothers was sitting next to me and when she saw her bonus she turned to me and said, "Ausi Paige, its too much!" I told her that she is such a gift to Beautiful Gate and that we love her and appreciate her a lot so she must accept this gift as our way of saying 'thank you.' After talking with her a little I got to thinking that if I would ever say that a bonus was too much. I honestly don't think I would. And here is this woman who probably lives in a 1 or 2 bedroom cinder block house with no running water saying that she doesn't need more money. In that moment I was not very proud to be an American. In a country where almost every body's dream is to get rich and famous....yea I don't know if I want to be associated with people like that. I don't think people in America understand the word 'need'. Most people here have food, water, shelter, love, and the Lord and that is all they need to live. Yes, the water may be dirty and their house might not have electricity but their needs are being met so they are happy. Why do Americans think they need so much more? I don't exactly know what I am trying to get at here but these were just some thoughts I have been reflecting on.
On Sunday I opened presents with my family via skype which was so fun! Skype is an amazing thing my friends.
Well there are a few thoughts from the week. I will hopefully post again soon!
a few of my friends from church
tessa's new alarm clock
sweeto hat bray!
oven mitts!
I love them.
peace and love.
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