This, friends, is what I am
learning.
Three weeks. I have been in
Ecuador now for almost 3 weeks, and time is just flying by. Some days are fun.
Some days are hard. But every day I see a little bit more of God and His love
for us.
Being here isn't easy. It's much
harder than I expected, but for reasons I never really considered, as my first
post since being here shared <Rad Dad>.
These kids have been through horrific tragedies already in their young
lives. I expected them to love me and beg for my attention to play with them.
Some moments, this happens, and that is fun. But most of the time, my life is
not that pretty here. Most days are spent trying to figure out new/effective
ways to help the kids do their homework and chores, stop fighting each other,
play fair, and just listen. Most days, I feel like I have made absolutely no
impact in these kids' lives. Some days,
I feel like a complete failure. But
then, there are these rare moments when I see a sliver of the Kingdom being
won. And these moments are enough.
Don’t get me wrong. I love it here. I truly enjoy being at the Foundation and
working there, but by the end of the day, I am tired. One of the older girls actually asked me if I
get tired of being there, and I told her that I get tired, but I am not tired
of being there. I told her that I didn’t
have to be there, but rather I choose to be there because I want to get to know
them more. I just pray that she and the
others truly feel that when I interact with them.
Two of the last three nights that
I have worked have been pretty crazy. I
don’t want to go into the details, but I have never seen some of what went down
ever in my life. It terrified me and
also broke my heart. These kids live
with the lie that there is no hope. They
don’t experience much peace, and they desperately need it! When there is no peace, there is chaos. I was reminded that I am here, in this
moment, this time in their lives, to stand in the gap and declare victory in
their lives. To pray for peace to
permeate their hearts. To claim them for
the Kingdom of God. To love them
regardless of their issues. To fight for
them.
This isn’t easy. I’ve prayed over some of the kids in ways
that I (shamefully) never have before.
In their moments of pain, shame, anger, and hurt, I have been given the
privilege of being there. I’ve held
teenagers in my arms who are sobbing, their tears and snot all over my arm. I’ve sat beside them as they cry and yell as
sorrow tried to overtake them. I’ve come
to realize and see with my own eyes just how real this spiritual battle
is.
This isn’t being written to show
how great of a person I am. In contrast,
I have come to realize just how broken I am.
I often feel helpless, but that is also a lie. Truth is that my God is good all the time…..He
just is. Truth is that I have Light when
darkness is trying to overtake it all. Truth
is that He alone gives me the strength to continue to fight for these
kids. Truth is that He has already
won.
I ask those who are reading this
to stand with me. The devil is trying
his hardest to kill their spirits and fill them with the lies that they are
worthless and unloved and not worth it.
Some days, they believe them.
Pray for protection for their minds and hearts against his stupid
schemes. Pray that we would be able to
show them just how worth it they are.
Pray that Jesus would be proclaimed in their lives each day. Pray for PEACE. Pray for JOY.
Pray for VICTORY.
Thank you for all the prayers you
have already offered up on our behalf.
Don’t grow weary in them! I know
I speak for all the volunteers and staff when I say that we NEED your
prayers. These kids NEED your
prayers. They are making a
difference. God has already brought us
to some of your minds when we needed your defenses the most. The battle is real, and your prayers are the flaming
arrows that are lighting up this place and fighting off the enemy’s army and
attacks. We thank you for fighting for
us when all we feel we can do is hold up our Shield. Love you.
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