Like every other month, August has been quite busy. At the beginning of the month we had a short term team from Bethany come to visit us. They were definitely a blessing and encouragement to our team. It's always nice to see some new faces, and we were pretty excited when they brought us some of our favorite treats from America :) It was also great to meet them so that when we return to Bethany in January, there will be some familiar faces among the students.
I was able to spend a lot of time with the team as they went to help out at different ministries. Over the weekend I joined them on a trip to an orphanage about two hours away. I really loved being at the orphanage! We were able to hang out with the kids and put on an English camp. Our camp was about different careers and I was a musician. Basically that meant that I wrote a song to the tune of "Let it Go" and I sang it over and over as the kids came to my station. It was fun, but the song didn't leave my head for days :)
When the English camp was done, we were able to play with the kids and spend time building relationships with them. I don't know how it happened, but I ended up befriending a 9 year old girl named Gan. She was so sweet! Both days I was there she wouldn't leave my side. We would play games and talk a little bit, but a lot of the time we simply sat with each other. Words weren't necessary. Before I left, Gan wrote me a few notes and drew me some pictures. It was so adorable and encouraging!
Gan was such a blessing to me. I was supposed to be there to show God's love to her and the other kids, but she was the one who showed love to me. I was having a hard time when I was at the orphanage, especially since I had just received some really bad news about my upcoming survey trip. But Gan made it better. Simply by grabbing my hand as we went for a walk or laying her head on my shoulder as we sat in church, she brought so much comfort to my hurting heart. And she had no idea that she was doing that. It's amazing how God can use anything, including a little 9 year old girl, to show us that he still loves us and that he hasn't forgotten us. He used the love of a child to bring healing and life to my broken soul. I'm so thankful that I was able to meet Gan, and I hope I can visit her again before I head back to America.
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| Me and Gan |
