Mindfulness
The first day of the trip, our theme was mindfulness. Being mindful of the people around us--their stories, emotions, and needs. Being mindful of how God is working in our lives, speaking to us, and guiding us as individuals. I thought "Wow, remembering to be mindful is such a great way to start of a trip like this!" but now I understand why it's a great way to start off every day of our lives. Our words and actions are so valuable, and if we were truly mindful, I bet most of us would be a lot quieter and more active! I was able to come up with such a LONG list of things that we would be able to have if we were constantly thinking about how God wants us to act, how we can trust Him, and how we can fulfill our purpose throughout each and every precious moment we are given to live. Here's the list I wrote down that day:
-more willing heart
-more open mind
-strength and endurance
-more joy/ability to enjoy the moment
-compassion, patience, understanding
-ability to notice significance of small things
-no wasting time/opportunity
-putting your issues behind needs of others
-peace throughout every situation
-ACTUALLY feeling love for others that are hard for you to love, not just acting the part
And there's probably so much more...
After another long day of travel (but not as long as the 13 hour flight the previous day) to get from Beijing to Luoyang, we finally arrived at Maria's Big House of Hope. We were given a tour and then told we had until suppertime to go meet and play with the kids! This was, of course, the moment we had all been waiting for. I love kids. I have two younger sisters. I've done plenty of VBS's, some camps, and even student teaching with kids, so what I didn't expect was to walk into a room full of kids and feel completely overwhelmed. Not because of the usual reasons kids overwhelm you (because I know they do have that ability). But because at least 8 little faces turned, eyes wide at the new, funny-looking stranger, and I was so completely aware that they have already gone through more than I will probably have to my whole life...AND they have done it without a mother or father by their side. It made me feel guilty and helpless, but beautiful things can happen despite heartbreak. One of the more outgoing little girls came up to me...hesitantly at first, but pretty soon we were playing like we were best friends. The little girl that came up to me, so willlingly welcomed me into her home, and was so eager to love me can really teach us all a lesson about welcoming and accepting others. Reflecting on that moment reminds me of Steven Curtis Chapman's song "When Love Takes You In...and says you belong here".
However, I must have been slightly boring because she moved on to something different a while later. Before I could find another play partner, one of our team leaders came up to me holding a four-month old. "Do you want to hold her?" My brain all at once was thinking "YES PLEASE SHE IS SO CUTE", "I have maybe held one baby this small ever and it was for like five minutes", "What if she doesn't like me?", and "WOW how am I going to be able to restrain myself from wanting to take one of these little ones home with me?". But I calmly said "Sure" and held my arms out. She seemed pretty content and was smiling at me, so I felt pretty proud of myself. The more time I spent with her throughout the week, I found out that she is possibly the happiest baby on earth, so maybe I didn't deserve all that self-proclaimed credit. Anyway, this child was the first of many tiny babies I held that week, and each moment with each baby was so special. Since Maria's is a special care center, many of the kids are obviously sick, but it is so inspiring to see how strong and eager some of them are in spite of whatever physical difficulties they have. They are little fighters and lovers at the same time. The whole week spent with them will always be special in my heart, but I know I will never forget the first couple of moments I had with these amazing kiddos.
-more willing heart
-more open mind
-strength and endurance
-more joy/ability to enjoy the moment
-compassion, patience, understanding
-ability to notice significance of small things
-no wasting time/opportunity
-putting your issues behind needs of others
-peace throughout every situation
-ACTUALLY feeling love for others that are hard for you to love, not just acting the part
And there's probably so much more...
After another long day of travel (but not as long as the 13 hour flight the previous day) to get from Beijing to Luoyang, we finally arrived at Maria's Big House of Hope. We were given a tour and then told we had until suppertime to go meet and play with the kids! This was, of course, the moment we had all been waiting for. I love kids. I have two younger sisters. I've done plenty of VBS's, some camps, and even student teaching with kids, so what I didn't expect was to walk into a room full of kids and feel completely overwhelmed. Not because of the usual reasons kids overwhelm you (because I know they do have that ability). But because at least 8 little faces turned, eyes wide at the new, funny-looking stranger, and I was so completely aware that they have already gone through more than I will probably have to my whole life...AND they have done it without a mother or father by their side. It made me feel guilty and helpless, but beautiful things can happen despite heartbreak. One of the more outgoing little girls came up to me...hesitantly at first, but pretty soon we were playing like we were best friends. The little girl that came up to me, so willlingly welcomed me into her home, and was so eager to love me can really teach us all a lesson about welcoming and accepting others. Reflecting on that moment reminds me of Steven Curtis Chapman's song "When Love Takes You In...and says you belong here".
However, I must have been slightly boring because she moved on to something different a while later. Before I could find another play partner, one of our team leaders came up to me holding a four-month old. "Do you want to hold her?" My brain all at once was thinking "YES PLEASE SHE IS SO CUTE", "I have maybe held one baby this small ever and it was for like five minutes", "What if she doesn't like me?", and "WOW how am I going to be able to restrain myself from wanting to take one of these little ones home with me?". But I calmly said "Sure" and held my arms out. She seemed pretty content and was smiling at me, so I felt pretty proud of myself. The more time I spent with her throughout the week, I found out that she is possibly the happiest baby on earth, so maybe I didn't deserve all that self-proclaimed credit. Anyway, this child was the first of many tiny babies I held that week, and each moment with each baby was so special. Since Maria's is a special care center, many of the kids are obviously sick, but it is so inspiring to see how strong and eager some of them are in spite of whatever physical difficulties they have. They are little fighters and lovers at the same time. The whole week spent with them will always be special in my heart, but I know I will never forget the first couple of moments I had with these amazing kiddos.
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