(These are journal entries from the first three days. I wanna really paint a picture of day to day and want you to see how God has already redeemed things in the 3rd day especially. These stories contain some graphic content, so if you’re young, let your parents read it first please. And let them decide if it's okay to read.
Readers, Keep Praying. Also, make sure to read all 3 parts… the last 3 paragraphs of the 3rd are the best… but you need all the details to get there :))
The thing about Adventures in Missions is that when we come to a new country, we rarely know what our ministry is until we’re there on sight and it's awesome. For South Africa, however, we found out a few days after arriving in “ZA” that my team, as well as another team on our squad would be teaching at a school for children with fetal alcohol syndrome. That’s all we knew.. until today. Today we found out that these are all slum kids with sexually/emotionally/physically abusive parents. Most lost their innocence at 9 and 10 years old or younger. They face rejection daily, and all suffer from some sort of learning disability… Today was the beginning of the next 3 months.
Day 1: Assignment Day
Today started early. We got picked up a few minutes after 7 (way earlier than our old ministry time in Phuket!) in an old beater missionary van by Pastor Danny. I hopped in the trunk with Elliot and the other 10 crammed in up front in the seats. We began our morning with a devotion with the rest of the staff. Then we spent the day learning about the ministry and telling Pastor Danny about ourselves. We prayed, a lot. It was beautiful. Pastor follows where the Spirit leads—my kind of ministry leader! He is also the product of 3 Lake Geneva Missionaries from years ago! (WOOT WOOT LG!!!!)– and as He heard about us more and more He felt out what the Lord was saying about which classrooms we’d be placed in to help teach. But when the morning started, God spoke to me and said, “You’re not going to be teaching in this school very often.”
What? What on EARTH is that supposed to mean? This is the ministry, what else was I supposed to do? Where else was I supposed to go? But I trusted that if God really wanted me somewhere else, He’d tell Pastor Himself.
After I told pastor a mini version of my testimony he had a “hmm, I wonder..” look on his face and asked, (side note: he didn’t ask anyone else anything like this after theirs) “I want to know… where do YOU feel called to be placed?”
That’s when awkward Riely choked on her own words and literally got nothing out but a couple panicky “uhhhh, yeahhh, umm.. I really can't answer that.” In my head I thought kindergarten.. but also 6th and 7th grade cuz my testimony applies more there.. but I could fall in the middle grounds.. but where would God want me? But God says He doesn’t want me at school… but what am I supposed to tell Pastor then? Do I just say what I want or do I just hope God tells Him.
As my overactive thoughts continued in my head, Pastor just said, “Um, I’ll just let you off the hook with that question.”
Whoops. That’s when I knew the Lord kept my mouth shut on purpose.
Later on, some of us got our assignments..
The guys (Elliot, Kevin, Brian, and Andrew) are working on the property maintenence, Stefan and Ryan are doing computer work, Nikki and Kristen are teaching dance and music, Jayda's teaching art, Abby's teaching special needs kids (and I'm helping her every afternoon) And here's what else I got…
He walked out and pointed straight at me and said, “You’re working at our Creche.”
The first thing I said was: “What’s a crèche?”
That’s when I found out that I was assigned to the most amazing, beautiful, yet emotionally exhausting jobs ever. The face i made and the excited squeal that came out explained how incredinbly excited i was to hear what I'd be doing. I would be assisting one other woman in caring for 10+ 3 month-4 year old children. This wasn’t a job that was on the radar for the group but Pastor explained how led He felt by the spirit and how I was an answered cry and prayer for help. I could not be happier!!!!!
It wasn’t until the walk around the property then the field trip down the road to the Creche when I realized how hard this job would really be….
We approached a small community, there were cactus and a few medium sized one level buildings there that housed over 30 people. On the outside of the gate was a shack like building with broken out windows, and a few weak cries coming from it. We walked inside and an old, extremely tired and drained out woman stood there with two babies in her arms, multiple babies laying on a small pad on the ground, some whose little faces were covered with thin blankets as they painfully coughed, and a few babies that wandered, tired hungry and weak, with nothing more to do but walk here and there.
The shack was small. One crib was in it and there was a small shelf along the wall. Besides that, there were a few wooden benches, and that was it. Flies covered the sleeping children, no exaggeration, over 30 on one little girl who lay awake motionless. They were all hungry, all slum babies whose mothers kept them there so that they could work out in the farms during the hot days to provide something, something for their families. Many of their bellies bulged out from malnutrition, color faded from their hair, and sickness was evident on all of their faces. Their little noses were running, their eyes were tired, and unlike most two and three year olds.. they just stood there expressionless and tired. One little girl started crying, when I picked her up all the flies came off of her, and when I held her I knew she could feel the love and joy of Jesus that was holding her because she held on back. She was so hungry to be held and loved. Stefan and Andrew, two of my teammates, said to me afterward that they could never do that job but it was perfect for me, It was evident that God had a plan because the atmosphere changed when I stepped into that room. There was light. There was love. There was joy and peace.
There was Jesus.
That’s all I have to give. Tomorrow I start working. Tomorrow I will choose to walk into that place with so much joy and love because those babies DESERVE it. I don’t care if I get lice or boogers all over my shirt, I don’t care if they puke on me, poop on me, cry all day long.
I just want to give them the love that they deserve.
That’s all I have to give… the love of Jesus. And it’s more than enough.
I do need your prayer. I’m so ready for this but I know it’s going to be so draining for me. I asked Jesus for a mega challenge—something that’ll squeeze every last bit of growth out of the last 3 months… He answers prayer.
