Spending time with the kids at the Indonesian orphanage has been such a blessing to me in so many ways. God continues to stretch me emotionally and sometimes (a lot of times) I wonder if He's got the wrong girl (I can be a tad bit fragile from time to time).
Kids are brought to this orphanage for many different reasons. Some because their parents have died, others because their families simply can't afford to keep them... Some even have siblings still living with their families in their home villages. I can't even imagine the impossible decision parents are faced with when deciding who stays and who goes... There were two new kids that had arrived since our last trip there. It's really hard for me to not be able to communicate well with these brave kids and how I wish I knew how to speak Bahasa. My heart hurts thinking of their stories, and what brought them to where they are today...
Yesterday as we were packing up to leave the orphanage, one of the boys (maybe 7 or 8 years old?) quietly took our music leader's guitar and began playing it. At first he seemed to strum a chord here and there, listening for the right note, and then it became obvious to us all that he actually knew how to play the guitar. He humbly played one beautiful song after another, singing words that everybody in the room knew except for our team. One by one the kids started singing what I can only assume was worship music because at the very end he blew us away with the most beautiful version of Amazing Grace I have ever heard in my whole life. His sweet and perfect voice sang the lyrics in his native language and I have never loved Bahasa so much.
I watched and cried and sang along in English. My heart ached wondering how in the world this little boy, who obviously had somebody teach him to play the guitar at one time, ended up living here. It's really hard not knowing this little guy's story, but I'm glad I got to be a part his life today. What a blessing he was to me.
This woman is so special. A saint, really. We brought the kids VBS t-shirts today and I laughed as I watched her scold the kids, warning them not to get them dirty. She rolled her eyes as one of them ran off while she was trying to make sure he had the right size, and then lovingly shook her head and sighed. Just as any other mother would do.
A few more photos of our time together:
Stretching out their arms to Jesus during our music time together... oh, my!
