It was one of those days that you want to live over again just so you can soak up its goodness a little more. And think of it. When we live one of these incredibly good days, we still haven’t seen anything like what we will experience in the age to come, when we are completely open and love flows without restriction. God is good!
Highlight #1: Praying with the orphanage leaders. David Jones and I have held a daily Bible study for the leaders of the boys’ and girls’ home. This morning our team gathered, and we spent about 20 minutes praying over the five leaders (Zach, Fritz, Marval, Erta, and Navy). It means a lot to them to receive ministry from missionary teams. The focus of everyone’s attention is the kids, as it should be. That made it even more gratifying to bless the leaders with prayer.
Highlight #2: The Beck boys. It has been amazing to watch Spencer and Nathaniel mix with the kids here. When you think about it, it is not all that common for kids to come here on a mission team. So when the orphanage kids saw that there were a couple of boys along, they welcomed the boys very warmly. Spencer and Nathaniel have both mixed in seamlessly with the kids. The girls especially like Nathaniel because he is crazy and makes them laugh. I think Nathaniel is even more crazy than Adeline, who is known to be gwo fou (really goofy). Today Spencer and Nathaniel took part in the Jonah skit for the feeding program. Spencer even played the starring role of Jonah. The boys seem to be loving it here.
Highlight #3: The students became the teachers. I had the privilege of leading the Bible study for the older kids this afternoon. A few of the kids were helping with the feeding program, so they could not attend the Bible study. BTW, I am very happy for the ownership the older kids are taking in the feeding program. Two of the girls who are especially dear to me, Isguerda and Cherley, have become feeding program regulars. I have this fatherly pride kind of feeling toward those two. Well, anyway, they wandered over to say hi after the feeding program and Bible study were finished. One of the boys who had been in the study, Willie B, was standing with me. When the
girls asked what we had talked about, I turned to Willie B and said, “Hey, can you explain the lesson to them?” I had used an illustration that involved small espresso cups. One was empty to signify the person who is without God. The other was full of water to represent how God fills us with his Spirit. Willie explained it very clearly, which made my teacher’s heart skip a beat. But the best was yet to come. Willie wandered off, and the girls stayed around because they wanted to talk for a while. Whenever anyone new walked over to us, I had one of the girls explain the lesson. They taught the lesson to perfection! Isguerda taught in Creole to one of the kids. Cherley was our English-speaking teacher. She even taught the lesson to Susan! She would say, “There are two cups, one empty and one full. The empty cup stands for the person who does not have God in his life. The full cup stands for the person who has God in his life and is filled with God’s Spirit. Also, because God’s Spirit lives inside of us, God can speak to us in our hearts and give us good thoughts and ideas of good things to do for people.” And then she would smile with a mixture of embarrassment and pride. I don’t know if I have ever been so happy doing Christian ministry as I was this afternoon.
Highlight #4: Solomon and coconuts. With help from Morgan and David, this evening I led a Bible study for the older boys on the rooftop of the guest house. We talked for close to an hour about the life of Solomon and ended by contrasting the excesses of King Solomon with the humility of King Jesus. The discussion was fruitful and seemed to break some new ground for some of the boys. But again, the best was yet to come. After the study ended, four of the boys stayed behind to talk a little more with Morgan, David, and me. Patrick (who had graciously served as interpreter for the study) extracted four ripe coconuts from the two trees by the back porch of the guest house, and when someone retrieved a butcher knife from the kitchen, Patrick cut open the coconuts. My kids and Ari were also there. The bunch of us shared laughs and feasted on fresh coconut milk and meat. It was one of the coolest things I have ever stumbled into!
If the trip gets any better, I don’t know what I am going to do. There are a few dozen more stories I could tell of teammates doing selfless things for others. Isn’t it wonderful that God’s kingdom consists of love and restoration and the very best stuff of life!
Highlight #1: Praying with the orphanage leaders. David Jones and I have held a daily Bible study for the leaders of the boys’ and girls’ home. This morning our team gathered, and we spent about 20 minutes praying over the five leaders (Zach, Fritz, Marval, Erta, and Navy). It means a lot to them to receive ministry from missionary teams. The focus of everyone’s attention is the kids, as it should be. That made it even more gratifying to bless the leaders with prayer.
Highlight #2: The Beck boys. It has been amazing to watch Spencer and Nathaniel mix with the kids here. When you think about it, it is not all that common for kids to come here on a mission team. So when the orphanage kids saw that there were a couple of boys along, they welcomed the boys very warmly. Spencer and Nathaniel have both mixed in seamlessly with the kids. The girls especially like Nathaniel because he is crazy and makes them laugh. I think Nathaniel is even more crazy than Adeline, who is known to be gwo fou (really goofy). Today Spencer and Nathaniel took part in the Jonah skit for the feeding program. Spencer even played the starring role of Jonah. The boys seem to be loving it here.
Highlight #3: The students became the teachers. I had the privilege of leading the Bible study for the older kids this afternoon. A few of the kids were helping with the feeding program, so they could not attend the Bible study. BTW, I am very happy for the ownership the older kids are taking in the feeding program. Two of the girls who are especially dear to me, Isguerda and Cherley, have become feeding program regulars. I have this fatherly pride kind of feeling toward those two. Well, anyway, they wandered over to say hi after the feeding program and Bible study were finished. One of the boys who had been in the study, Willie B, was standing with me. When the
girls asked what we had talked about, I turned to Willie B and said, “Hey, can you explain the lesson to them?” I had used an illustration that involved small espresso cups. One was empty to signify the person who is without God. The other was full of water to represent how God fills us with his Spirit. Willie explained it very clearly, which made my teacher’s heart skip a beat. But the best was yet to come. Willie wandered off, and the girls stayed around because they wanted to talk for a while. Whenever anyone new walked over to us, I had one of the girls explain the lesson. They taught the lesson to perfection! Isguerda taught in Creole to one of the kids. Cherley was our English-speaking teacher. She even taught the lesson to Susan! She would say, “There are two cups, one empty and one full. The empty cup stands for the person who does not have God in his life. The full cup stands for the person who has God in his life and is filled with God’s Spirit. Also, because God’s Spirit lives inside of us, God can speak to us in our hearts and give us good thoughts and ideas of good things to do for people.” And then she would smile with a mixture of embarrassment and pride. I don’t know if I have ever been so happy doing Christian ministry as I was this afternoon.Highlight #4: Solomon and coconuts. With help from Morgan and David, this evening I led a Bible study for the older boys on the rooftop of the guest house. We talked for close to an hour about the life of Solomon and ended by contrasting the excesses of King Solomon with the humility of King Jesus. The discussion was fruitful and seemed to break some new ground for some of the boys. But again, the best was yet to come. After the study ended, four of the boys stayed behind to talk a little more with Morgan, David, and me. Patrick (who had graciously served as interpreter for the study) extracted four ripe coconuts from the two trees by the back porch of the guest house, and when someone retrieved a butcher knife from the kitchen, Patrick cut open the coconuts. My kids and Ari were also there. The bunch of us shared laughs and feasted on fresh coconut milk and meat. It was one of the coolest things I have ever stumbled into!
If the trip gets any better, I don’t know what I am going to do. There are a few dozen more stories I could tell of teammates doing selfless things for others. Isn’t it wonderful that God’s kingdom consists of love and restoration and the very best stuff of life!
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