Those He brings to me

       For years I have known that God has called me to work with orphans but as I have seen this summer, I can only help the ones that He brings my way and my heart longs to do more. I want to reach out to all of them, to change, heal and rescue every hurting child from the lives that they’re living. This was something that God really had to work with me on during the camp season this past month.  Each week seeing hundreds of precious children show up for camp and knowing that each child was an orphan tore me up inside. It was with an aching heart that I looked on the sad faces of these children and thought of all the pain and suffering they have been through. As I knelt in the dirt, cradling them in my arms and whispering my love to them, my heart was breaking for them. Blinking back my own tears, I wiped the tears off the faces of scared toddlers and hugged them gently, while singing to them in a choked up voice.  My heart has never known such pain, as it did each camp when I saw those children.

       I watched as each child came in scared and timid, with a deep sadness in their eyes, but as the week went on the Lord was at work in their lives. Each morning I saw improvement in each child as joy bubbled up inside them until their sweet eyes sparkled with joy by the end of the week. This was the work of God, not man.  Through all of this the Lord was teaching me that though there are a lot of orphans and my human emotions might not be satisfied with helping just a few of these,  I can still do my part to change the lives that are put in front of me. Though I will always want to do more, to help all the children, I know it is only the ones that are put in my path that I am destined to help.

       There will always be children that need help, but I will not always be in their lives. I am not called to be a superhero, to change the world, to stop death from robbing children of their parents. I am simply called to help the ones that God brings into my life. I am after all human. I can do nothing apart from God, but through Him I will touch the lives that He allows me to. In the same way, through me, He will forever change those children. I am a tool in the hand of the King. Whomever He chooses me to love and help, I will do so. Even if He only lets me reach one child, that is still one more child that has been touched and changed by  the love of their Maker and that alone is enough for me to feel successful in my mission.

       Looking back on all the children that I had the privilege of loving on this summer, I know that they will forever hold a special place in my heart whether I see them again or not. These sweet children were the first ones that God chose me to minister to, the first children that I was blessed to work with and bring joy to, but they were not the last. I know that God has more work for me and I eagerly await the call to return to Africa and continue in my work.

                                          

                                “For the glory of God!”