Ever since I was in eighth grade, God has put a burden in my heart for orphans. As you can imagine, my favorite day of the trip was the one spent at an Ecuadorian orphanage called San Lucias.
From the moment I stepped into the orphanage, the children captured my heart. They ran up to us saying "Tio! Tia!" which means "Uncle! Aunt!" Grabbing our hands, they eagerly pulled us outside to show us their playground.
Because I could speak Spanish, I began talking with the lady who ran the orphanage. She told me that the children who lived in San Lucias were either drug-addict or abused children. She explained to me that, for those reasons, many of them would never be adopted. She then lead me into a room.
"His name is Danny," she told me. "He is eleven months old."
Danny sat in a baby walker in the corner of the room. When I knelt down by him, he looked up at me. My heart melted and I scooped him into my arms. I spent the entire morning with him, talking to him, feeding him, and rocking him to sleep. And, as I laid him in his crib, I was struck by the thought, "God loves Danny more than I do!"
The orphans had a surprise for us! They had learned a typical Ecuadorian folk dance that they wanted to do especially for us. The kids cracked me up! Some did not quite know what to do, but they whispered to each other and figured it out as they went along!
When the folk dance was finished, we did our drama for them. All of the kids loved our make-up. I thought that it might be frightening to them, but they were enthralled!
As I write this, a verse comes to mind. Several years ago I was reading through the book of John. I came across verse eighteen of chapter fourteen. The verse says, "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." I thought that God had the verse written especially with me in mind. Now, I know that I've taken it a bit (OK, a lot) out of context just now. But when it is put back into context, it is just as thrilling!
Jesus is talking to his disciples. It is one of the last times they get to really talk before Jesus' death. Jesus is assuring his followers that they will not be alone. Verses nineteen through twenty-one say, "Before long the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him."
As we said good-bye to the orphans at San Lucias, some people cried. I was filled with excitement and joy. Rather than making me sad, it encouraged me. Seeing those precious children reminded me that one day soon I will be working in a place like that with children like those.
| previous day | Mission Trip Page | next day |