Today we got to start working! We started out the day washing furniture and ended with moving the furniture, mopping where it was and then moving it back to mop the other area. In between we dusted, sorted, and arranged tons of books.
All in all, nothing we did was earth shattering. But, tonight, I asked them where they saw God today. And, they mentioned several things. They talked about seeing Him in the work they're doing, in the teamwork they used to get the job done, in the storm we had this evening, in the people we're working for, and basically, everything we did. Although at times I know they weren't ecstatic about what they were doing, when asked, they realize that they are still doing God's work. I shared about the abused women and children and what it means to them to have a place that they can come to for help. And, even though they will never see the women they help, they are helping every abused women in spirit. Several mentioned stories of things people they knew had experienced. I'm hoping this helps them put a face to their work tomorrow.
Another thing that's happened this week is somewhat unfortunate but has turned into an eye opening thing for me. The night before we left, one of the boys sprained his foot. He's on crutches now. This kid is a sweet kid when he wants to be, but, as the youngest child, he enjoys antagonizing to make sure everyone knows he's there. For that reason, he tends to get some people agitated. This week, he hasn't complained about hopping around, he's been as independent as he possibly can be, and when I ask for a volunteer, he's the first to raise his hand, even though he doesn't know what I'm going to ask someone to do. Today, he begged me to let him do things that I didn't think were good for him to do. Finally, he used a rolling office chair to roll around and sweep. He had sat with ice on his foot part of the time and during that time, several came up to me and mentioned he wasn't doing anything. Of course, they all had their chance for a break so I reminded them I was in charge and taking care of it. But, tonight, I felt I needed to address the issue. So, I had a task and asked for a volunteer, knowing he would raise his hand. The other volunteers and I had planned it beforehand so one of them took him out to help him with his task. I shared with them how this boy must feel and talked to them about being compassionate, etc. It was a great time for an object lesson and discussion time.
But, the cool thing is this boy never saw anything more than wanting to help and do everything he could to be involved in serving others. He wasn't worried about his own pain, he was worried he couldn't serve enough. This week, it's obvious God is in Him. And, looking at the story of the widow who had nothing but gave everything she had, I see him giving everything he has. And, his actions and attitude this week have blessed me beyond words.
So, where was God today? He was in our work, He was in the boy with the sprained ankle, as well as the other youth. And, He was in our time of devotion and discussion.
Blessings,
Jennifer
All in all, nothing we did was earth shattering. But, tonight, I asked them where they saw God today. And, they mentioned several things. They talked about seeing Him in the work they're doing, in the teamwork they used to get the job done, in the storm we had this evening, in the people we're working for, and basically, everything we did. Although at times I know they weren't ecstatic about what they were doing, when asked, they realize that they are still doing God's work. I shared about the abused women and children and what it means to them to have a place that they can come to for help. And, even though they will never see the women they help, they are helping every abused women in spirit. Several mentioned stories of things people they knew had experienced. I'm hoping this helps them put a face to their work tomorrow.
Another thing that's happened this week is somewhat unfortunate but has turned into an eye opening thing for me. The night before we left, one of the boys sprained his foot. He's on crutches now. This kid is a sweet kid when he wants to be, but, as the youngest child, he enjoys antagonizing to make sure everyone knows he's there. For that reason, he tends to get some people agitated. This week, he hasn't complained about hopping around, he's been as independent as he possibly can be, and when I ask for a volunteer, he's the first to raise his hand, even though he doesn't know what I'm going to ask someone to do. Today, he begged me to let him do things that I didn't think were good for him to do. Finally, he used a rolling office chair to roll around and sweep. He had sat with ice on his foot part of the time and during that time, several came up to me and mentioned he wasn't doing anything. Of course, they all had their chance for a break so I reminded them I was in charge and taking care of it. But, tonight, I felt I needed to address the issue. So, I had a task and asked for a volunteer, knowing he would raise his hand. The other volunteers and I had planned it beforehand so one of them took him out to help him with his task. I shared with them how this boy must feel and talked to them about being compassionate, etc. It was a great time for an object lesson and discussion time.
But, the cool thing is this boy never saw anything more than wanting to help and do everything he could to be involved in serving others. He wasn't worried about his own pain, he was worried he couldn't serve enough. This week, it's obvious God is in Him. And, looking at the story of the widow who had nothing but gave everything she had, I see him giving everything he has. And, his actions and attitude this week have blessed me beyond words.
So, where was God today? He was in our work, He was in the boy with the sprained ankle, as well as the other youth. And, He was in our time of devotion and discussion.
Blessings,
Jennifer
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