Getting to know the boys!

Today is Tuesday, our second day of the week. It already has been such an incredible two days with the boys from the orphanage. They are a worlds difference then those children we worked with last week. We encountered 35 new boys ages 10- 20 years old. Many of these boys lack discipline, are mentally and physically challenged, and are yearning for a simple touch of love. We have boys that are deaf, autistic, those with C.P and strokes, those with anger issues, and those with hearts of gold!! It is a wide range, and each of these boys are such a unique child of God. They are desperate for attention and will do anything it takes to receive it. The attention they need comes both from good behavior and extremely negative behavior. We have (in a day and a half) experienced any behavior from bitting, to yelling, to swearing, to smoking, to fighting, to throwing food, to licking....and the list goes on and on. They will push you as far as it takes, and they certainly want to know how much you really do love them. Will we go the extra mile???
I think of God's love here.... how it is never-ending. How it never fails us.
We are working through these hardships and challenges to recognize that same love. Our hearts are breaking ever single moment....or spirits are challenged...and the laughter from last week is rapidly fading....however our spirits are alive!!

It is now that we need your prayers to continue this journey....to fight the battle, and to find the strength to teach the good news! Please pray that Gods spirit breaks through the culture barriers, and that the boys will hear the gospel clearly.

There have been moments when one-on-one these boys will pour out their hearts to us. They will open up to what hurts them, and they will ask us to pray for them. It is so fascinating to get to know each of them individually. It is impossible to understand how much they struggle in their day to day, and this is when we see how much compassion lies in our hearts....
God is so amazing! He has been providing us with blessings that we never even knew existed. He is listening to our hearts, and interceding with his grace and mercy. When there are moments of discouragement, He becomes our patience. When there are moments of uncertainty, He becomes our strength. When there are moments of suffering, He too suffers. Did you hear that? God suffers too?? Many tears have been shed, and many smiles have been embedded in our hearts. I ask that each of you pray that this continue throughout the week. I ask for you to pray for these boys, and that they find the God that we all love so much!


We continue to play games and do crafts (today was tie-dye!!), have bible lessons, and enjoy soccer and volleyball! We started a game last night where we have 'secret angels.' We pick a name, and have that person all week where we are in charge of giving them little gifts throughout the day. At the end of the week, we will reveal the secret! It has been a blast!

Our health is excellent right now- thanks for all of the prayers....

We miss and love you all!

On behalf of the team,

Vanessa