Jumping for Joy
12:52 PM It is Sunday morning here. No one is up yet in the house and a the snow has been falling steadily and lightly since last night. Yesterday was another full day of ministry. We had teams who headed out to three different orphanages and we of course returned to see our kids. Haley had the unique opportunity to get some one on one time with Nicu. This is quite difficult as the kids usually travel in packs and the slightest glimpse of anybody getting more attention then somebody else awakens a chorus of “Hey, hey, me, please, me!” During their fifteen minutes of fame together they had an action photo shoot. Jumping off the gates and benches of the field while doing tricks.
There was no rain yesterday, but a bitter coldness hung over the orphanage. Coldness however, has never slowed the kids down. With in minutes of arriving at the orphanage we were in a full fledged soccer game. We played for hours with the team sizes continuing to expand. We ended up playing 9 on 9 on a small 35-40 yard field. The game was filled with excitement and laughter as goal after goal was scored and mistake after mistake was snickered at.
Eventually night fell but we were unable to use the clubhouse so we stayed outside. The kids decided it was photo time and we snapped endless group shots. Marin decided that it was time we had a boxing match and like a father coming home from work to wrestle with his little boy I threw myself and doubled over with each phantom punch bringing me to my knees as i was dazed and woozy. Unlike a lot of the kids, he made it a fair fight instead of a lopsided affair and responded to my sweeping hooks by lashing his head backwards and staggering his feet. By the end of the night I was taken off of my feet by a powerful uppercut.
Wether it was soccer, coloring, taking pictures, or boxing I was followed by a tiny voice that like a long metered metronome beeped “buna, steven” Georgiana is the younger sister of a Iulica one of the boys I have grown quite fond of and who despite his tiny stature it always a force on the soccer field. Georgiana jumps into my arms whether I am looking or not. Guides me around while holding my hand and requests picture after picture. I learned the word fremo (beautiful) to let her know that she truly is beautiful not only in my eyes, but in God’s eyes.
As I look back outside I see the trash as been covered up by a much more appealing blanket of white. The snow falls gently in between the cracks and piles and for a moment makes you forget about the trash and mud that litters the ground. The snow is much like our time here. The time we spend with these kids brings out the loudest guffaws, smiles that bridge language barriers, and hugs that come to the verge of bruising organs before they release, but when we are gone who is here to bring these things about. While the Heart to Heart staff creates a consistent presence they simply do not have the man power to meet the needs of so many lonely children.
When we head home the snow melts and the ground is revealed. These children need prayer and I urge you to lift them in your prayers. Pray that they would feel loved and valued. Pray that even without parental guidance and nurturing that they would strive to better themselves with education. Pray that they would fall into the loving arms of the father and in that embrace find their comfort and identity.
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