Day Three - Hope!

After arriving a little bit later to the orphanage today and eating lunch, we jumped right in to making beaded bracelets and necklaces with the kids.  It rained on and off all day so most of our time was spent inside. 

         

                       

Ryan got the most bracelets made for him by the children!

We alternated back and forth between playing with the kids and working on the mural in the main room.  Ryan painted the mural last year but due to some moisture issues the paint was peeling.  We all helped but it was mainly the guys (Ryan, Robby, Matthew and Joe) who stripped and scraped the paint from the wall, which took most of the day, but they were also able to lay a base coat for what will display a "hand print" tree.  The Meck team and all of the children will put their hand prints on the tree for leaves and each new child that comes into the orphanage will be able to add their hand as well.  Ryan refers to it as a growing mural.

Before

Wall scraped, stripped and painting begun!

While the painting was taking place, other members of the team played musical chairs and colored, as well as decorated fabric bags for the kids bibles.

We also were able to lead a Hora Feliz (happy hour) bible lesson on Jericho.  The kids made shields and blew kazoos as they marched around the city.

The highlight of the day was the dinner we were invited to eat with the staff.  We normally leave the orphanage by 4 and eat dinner on our own.  Tonight was a special occasion as all of the staff came to eat homemade, fantastic pizza with us.  We asked if we could serve them, as they have been serving us all week long.  They are an incredible group of women and serving them pizza is the least we can do!

Romans 15: 4-5

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,"

It's difficult to comprehend the lives that these children have experienced in their small amount of years.  But it's even more difficult to understand their happiness, their laughter, their hope in the midst of it all.  

Then you consider that scripture.  Endurance, encouragement, Christ-like attitude.  All values being lavished upon these children.  The women of the orphanage have hope, so the children do too.  

It's what we learned in our morning devotional Ryan led today, and it's what we learned in the video presented to us by the staff after dinner tonight.  The stories of these children.  Violence, abuse, abandonment, neglect.  One would think the opposite of hope.  The children think differently.  In the chaos of their worlds, they smile, they endure, they strive towards Jesus.  And we're learning to do the same.