A Merry Heart

The sound of children’s laughter in my home is something that I will never get tired of hearing.

8 kids from the orphanage spent the weekend with me and two assistants. Words cannot adequately describe the joy that having a house full of children brings to my heart. 

The younger girls came for their monthly retreat and they brought a special guest, 8 month old baby Michael. Each of the girls is assigned a younger child to care for and his “care giver” was part of our group this week. He is a bit fragile, medically speaking and needs some extra TLC. We were so glad to have him.  

It continues to amaze me the simple things that I take for granted on a daily basis that mean so much to people who don’t have them.  Showers are something I don’t think about a lot. I don’t use my shower much these days. I only have running water every other day for a few hours and I don’t have hot water running through the pipes. For me, it’s easier to heat a bucket of water and take a bucket bath.  The orphanage doesn’t have running water at all and the kids bathe in buckets of cold water outside in a bath house. When the girls first spent the night at my house, the shower and western toilet were some of their favorite things. This weekend was no exception.

I walked in the hallway and heard a scream followed by a fit of giggles coming from the bathroom. I walked to the door cautiously asking,  “What’s happening in there?”  The door opened and there were 4 naked girls with huge grins on their faces. “Mom, this shower is amazing!” I closed the door both baffled and amused.  Baffled as to why there were 4 of them in the shower at the same time (One couldn’t figure out how to make the shower work, so the others came to help!) and amused that a simple shower could bring so much joy. One by one they took their showers and filed out of the bathroom to change. My hallway was full of water as they walked from the bathroom to the bedroom but I didn’ t care. The joy radiating from them was contagious.

Moments like this filled our time together. Writing them won’t do justice to the memories. You had to be there and understand where these kids come from and the challenges they face on a daily basis to fully appreciate simple moments like this.  

Mommy Felicia Doh came to speak to us about being the Kings Delight. She taught from the book of Esther and completely rocked our world with the story of Esther, orphan turned Queen. To see the looks on the faces of the girls as they began to understand what they were being taught was amazing.  We took some time to make declarations over our lives and futures based on what God says about us. The truths that the girls spoke over their lives brought joy to my heart and tears to my eyes. Watching them grow emotionally and spiritually is one of my greatest joys. To be an orphan in Africa is no joke. Society says you are nothing and will be nothing. You are treated like dirt by most of the world.  Teaching them what God says about them and who they are can be an uphill battle sometimes. To see and hear each girl boldly (or timidly) declare who God says they are and make positive declarations about their future is a joy that I can’t begin to describe to you.

The retreat is over and my house is now empty but the sound of laughter still rings in my ears and the joy continues to burst from my heart. My kitchen is still a wreck and the rest of the house is a disaster but my love tank is overflowing. I can sit here on my bed and see the face of each girl. I can hear her making joyful declarations and I am agreeing with every one of them and declaring more. More of God, more joy, more emotional healing, more truth taking hold in their lives, more, more, more!

It is my joy and my privilege to share life with them. It isn’t always easy but it is worth every minute.

Thank you to all of you for your prayers, your financial gifts, and your willingness to allow God to use you to help make a difference in the lives of many around the world. Some of the lives you touch you will never meet in person. I’m so grateful that God uses all of us to change the world for Him and to establish His Kingdom here on the earth.

How can you bring life and laughter to those in your corner of the world today? Make it your mission today to find out and bless someone with the Jesus in YOU!

New Living Translation (©2007)
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength. Provers 17:22