Sabbath is beautiful.
Every time that day comes I know that it is a gift from God. Right now I am sitting on my back porch watching the sunset and the moon rise up in the sky (there is also a snake swimming in the pond). Bangladesh is so beautiful this time of year because of the lush rice fields. In a few weeks they will begin to dry up and soon it wont be as pretty. I’ll enjoy the scenery while it lasts.
Today was a great day full of adventures and fellowship. Lauren and I were the only ones that showed up to the English Sabbath school that is taught by the Waids. We studied about righteousness by faith and how the time of Jesus coming is getting closer. As I am getting older I am beginning to believe this more and more, Jesus is coming soon to take us all home (I find a lot of comfort in that). We had church and lunch and then we went to the village Sabbath school. This event has become one of my favorite parts of the week. There is something so special about teaching Jesus to kids who have never heard of Him before. Today I told the story of Daniel and the Lions den. When describing that Daniel had been thrown in I asked them, “Do you think that Daniel was alive in the morning?” All of them yelled “nooooooooo.” It was such a surprise when they realized that God had rescued Daniel from the lions and that he didn’t even have a rip in his clothing. Sometimes I let the stories in the bible become old and I forget about how amazing they really are.
When we returned from the village Sabbath school I sat down with some of the kids and played. As the days go by I realize more and more how important it is to just love them. Luke came up to me and grabbed my hand. Then he looked at me with anger written all over his face and he said, “Chantel, I love you no. You promised to take me to village school and you didn’t.” I was shocked, earlier in the day he had asked me if he could go and I had told him to ask Ponwell or Grammy if he could go (we usually don’t take the Kindergarten class). After that he let go of my hand and wandered off somewhere to cry for the next 20 minutes. I don’t know what to do with Luke because he has suffered so much damage from his mother giving him up. He demands my strict attention and I desperately want to give him all the attention I can but it is so hard when there are so many other children that need love and attention as well. This isn’t the first time that he has been upset with me and I’m sure it isn’t the last. It hurts me to see his broken spirit.
The pain is evident in many of the kid’s faces. You can tell that what has happened in their past has hurt them more than I could ever imagine. Some of them don’t smile that often and others act up in bad ways so that they can get attention. It reassures me that I am needed here; even if it is just to love the kids with all of my heart.
I don’t know how to handle Luke yet but I’m scared that he is going to drain me because of his temperamental behavior. He has picked me out to be his “mom” and I let him down all the time and it is crushing me to hurt him. I wont let this ruin my day but it just makes me sad to see the effects of sin. Yes, I take great comfort in knowing Jesus is coming soon to take us home.
Every time that day comes I know that it is a gift from God. Right now I am sitting on my back porch watching the sunset and the moon rise up in the sky (there is also a snake swimming in the pond). Bangladesh is so beautiful this time of year because of the lush rice fields. In a few weeks they will begin to dry up and soon it wont be as pretty. I’ll enjoy the scenery while it lasts.
Today was a great day full of adventures and fellowship. Lauren and I were the only ones that showed up to the English Sabbath school that is taught by the Waids. We studied about righteousness by faith and how the time of Jesus coming is getting closer. As I am getting older I am beginning to believe this more and more, Jesus is coming soon to take us all home (I find a lot of comfort in that). We had church and lunch and then we went to the village Sabbath school. This event has become one of my favorite parts of the week. There is something so special about teaching Jesus to kids who have never heard of Him before. Today I told the story of Daniel and the Lions den. When describing that Daniel had been thrown in I asked them, “Do you think that Daniel was alive in the morning?” All of them yelled “nooooooooo.” It was such a surprise when they realized that God had rescued Daniel from the lions and that he didn’t even have a rip in his clothing. Sometimes I let the stories in the bible become old and I forget about how amazing they really are.
When we returned from the village Sabbath school I sat down with some of the kids and played. As the days go by I realize more and more how important it is to just love them. Luke came up to me and grabbed my hand. Then he looked at me with anger written all over his face and he said, “Chantel, I love you no. You promised to take me to village school and you didn’t.” I was shocked, earlier in the day he had asked me if he could go and I had told him to ask Ponwell or Grammy if he could go (we usually don’t take the Kindergarten class). After that he let go of my hand and wandered off somewhere to cry for the next 20 minutes. I don’t know what to do with Luke because he has suffered so much damage from his mother giving him up. He demands my strict attention and I desperately want to give him all the attention I can but it is so hard when there are so many other children that need love and attention as well. This isn’t the first time that he has been upset with me and I’m sure it isn’t the last. It hurts me to see his broken spirit.
The pain is evident in many of the kid’s faces. You can tell that what has happened in their past has hurt them more than I could ever imagine. Some of them don’t smile that often and others act up in bad ways so that they can get attention. It reassures me that I am needed here; even if it is just to love the kids with all of my heart.
I don’t know how to handle Luke yet but I’m scared that he is going to drain me because of his temperamental behavior. He has picked me out to be his “mom” and I let him down all the time and it is crushing me to hurt him. I wont let this ruin my day but it just makes me sad to see the effects of sin. Yes, I take great comfort in knowing Jesus is coming soon to take us home.
That is so sad. I'll be praying for the children there, they need love from afar as well!
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