We went white water rafting down the Nile on Tuesday and survived!!! It was so awesome. We stayed at the camp site provided by Adrift for a few days, which is right by the Nile. It was a wonderful time of rest, relaxation, and spending time with the team, but we definitely all missed the kids at Smile! While there, we were asked to party a few times… it made me realize all the more that missions is everywhere. It’s when I go on a white water rafting trip, it’s when I’m on the plane sharing with the person next to me, it’s when I go to the grocery store and talk with the Indian workers, it’s staying at the hotel land building relationships with the staff, and it’s at Smile. And missions certainly won’t stop when I get back home… because everyone needs the Lord, no matter what their circumstances are in life.
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| can I just say class 5 rapids?! |
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| our team about to eat supper at Adrift |
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| I never thought I was a person who loved monkeys until I saw this baby monkey... so cute! |
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| sunsets by the Nile every night, which we made sure we never missed! |
Michelle and Laura spent their last day at Smile. The kids sang songs for them, and there were lots of tears all around. We will miss them both, and I know all the kids will too. It makes me dread my last day at Smile. I have fallen in love with these kids, and I can’t imagine leaving them yet. Each day, the kids ask me, “You will come tomorrow?” And I am just not ready for the day that I have to say no.
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| sweet Fate and Peter |
A couple of the kids have called me “mommy” a few times, and it breaks my heart because I don’t want to be another parental figure in their life who leaves them. It reminds me all the more to leave these kids with Jesus because He has promised to never leave them nor forsake them. I can’t be with these kids after August 10, but He can. And I can entrust these kids to Jesus because He loves them so much more than I do.
The other day, Alupot, one of “my boys” was sick. He’s a 4-year-old boy who lives at Smile. At night, he was just trying to hold in the tears because his stomach hurt. Then, he went diarrhea out in the field, and since there’s no toilet paper, he just wiped his butt in the dirt and let the rest of it the only shirt he has. Here I am, 21 years old just hoping that I don’t get sick because my mom and dad won’t be here to take care of me. Yet, this precious, little 4-year-old boy has to deal with sickness on his own. He deserves to have someone take care of him when he’s sick, help him get dressed, bathe him, and at the very least make sure he has toilet paper and underwear; however, he doesn’t know any of these simple joys. But I guess for the time-being, I get the privilege of being able to do a few of these things... which has been such a blessing to me. And in the end, I have to trust that Jesus will take care of him. He is the Father to the fatherless, so I know Alupot really is in good hands.
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| precious Alupot |
Prayer for the next couple weeks:
-We will be able to love the kids fully with Christ’s love.
-We will be filled with energy and joy as we spend time with the kids.
-That we will be intentional with the kids throughout our last couple weeks.
Love and miss you all!
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