Today has been a difficult day in many ways. This morning we went back to the village to add on some last things to the house, pray with the family, and turn the keys over to them. For the few hours we were there this morning, I'm pretty sure I had one of the kids in my hands the entire time. Over the past three days I have developed this love for the family and the people of this village, and to think we were getting ready to leave and I might not ever see them again, was a hard thought. To be completely honest, before we left the states the idea of building the house was not appealing to me. Let me explain. When I was told we were building the house and that it would take 3 days, my thoughts were.. I would love to be able to provide a house for a family that doesn't have one, but that's three days that we won't be able to spend in the orphanages with the kids we have formed relationships with. I am so glad that God didn't take the advice I gave, because I would've missed out on so much. So back to this morning.. As we were walking out, the kids that received the house broke down and started crying. As I was hugging one of the girls she just held me and kept saying thank you. She didn't know how to receive something she had never known before. The previous night they slept in their new beds, and she didn't really know what to think. She had always slept on the ground, she never knew what it felt like to sleep on a bed. As we were pulling out in the truck, both of the older ones had tears streaming down their faces and were waving goodbye. One of the little girls in the village kept blowing me kisses and smiling this adorable smile that is enough to melt your heart. Despite the language barrier, these kids and families have taught me so much and for the few days I was there I felt like I was part of their family. God has used the people of the this village to look at the Gospel in a new light, in a fresh way. As bad as it sounds, I was getting accustomed to the Gospel and somewhat lost sight of it's power. I needed this family and village to refresh me, and allow me to see things in a different light just as much as they needed us to serve them. Its amazing the way the body of Christ works, when you pour out all you have to serve His people, He uses those very same people to bless you beyond comprehension.
After lunch we went to San martin, which is an orphanage for special needs adults and children. Many of you know Kike and have heard me talk about him, well, San Martin is where I met him and where he is supposed to be. God has used this child in tremendous was in my life and has used him to break my heart for His people that are under oppresion, being trafficked, abused, and used. Ever since I left him, my heart has longed to be back with him and take care of him. Every day for a year now I've been praying for him, thinking about him, and checking on him. To say that I was ecstatic to see him again would be an understatement. At the beginning of the week I began getting several different stories from several different people on where he was. They really had no clue where he was. We were on the bus, headed to San Martin and I just started feeling this lump form in my throat. I kept telling myself that if he wasn't at San Martin to just accept it and hope and pray that God would still allow me to atleast see him. We finally arrived, and I dashed to find a tia to ask where he was. I began looking for a tia and looking for Kike and couldn't find either. I finally found a tia and she told me he was in the hospital, that his lungs were failing him, but he was stable. That lump quickly turned into a massive waterfall of tears. I was in the middle of all these people, my team, the kids from San Martin, and the workers, and I felt so stupid that I couldn't hold it together. I finally got to where I had stopped crying, pulled myself back together a little bit, and I turned around and saw one of the special needs adults wearing a shirt that I had sent for Kike. The back of the shirt said "Heaven knows my name". As I began thinking about all of this I found myself and the tears hiding behind my sunglasses and camera. The fact that Heaven knows Kike's name just made me long so much for Jesus' return. The hurt and brokenness of these people have made me long more than ever for Christ to return and make all things right. Some days when I think about all that Kike has been through and what he has endured, I get frustrated and just wish that there was some way I could take away his pain. But the thought that one day He will be with Christ in Heaven saying all that He never could say here and dancing and walking just excites me to no end.
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