Sunday, Feb. 5th 4:30 PM : Day Two

Today we were excited because we took a group of orphans to the beach! (How cool is that?!) I love that my ministry allows me to do something like hang out at the beach with Indian orphaned kids. Not only were they the eleven of the cutest kids all dressed in traditional Indian cloths, but they all played a game to remember our names. It brought a smile to my face to hear these children say my name out loud. One girl, who's name is, "MOE-GA-NA-SOON-DA-RE" was the first to learn all of our names. She took it upon herself to teach them to the other children. She had much patience with me as I learned hers. I ended up just calling her, "Soon-da-re" and she allowed me to call her "Soon." Soon has a smaller brother and the two of them are the only ones of the eleven who have not lost their parents to AIDS. They have a mother that they live with, however she is a prostitute who brings clients into the home. Living in a small two room hut, there is no doubt in my mind that Soon, and her brother often see what is done to her mother. It was this very reason we took them out to the beach. We wanted to give them a fun, and healthy day. Our team is made up of four individuals who came along side a local man named Solomon. It is one of Solomon's dreams to build an orphanage where these children can be taken out of the slums and provided a safe, and healthy environment. We loaded up a van and took eleven kids to the beach. We played Frisbee, jumped rope, and splashed in the water! The kids played in the sand, and kicked around a football. It was a normal child's typical day at the beach, but for these children it was a wonderful experience that they don't often have. Later, we went to an indoor market place and road an escalator! It never ceases to amazing me that no matter where you go in the world, children love to ride up and down on escalators! We ate lunch and then started back for home. Home for these kids is with relatives, or neighbors who put them to work to earn their keep. Some of them go to school and all of them suffer. You see, it was not until the end of that day, only after I built relationships with these children did I learn that every one of them is HIV+. They all have AIDS! When I heard that, I just sat there in the van, looking at each of there smiling faces and I cried.

It was my only reasonable response. We dropped off 1/2 of the children and I waved good-bye through the window. I prayed to God that they would get to know Jesus. I hope to see them again one day knowing that if I do, it would be in heaven where they would have arrived years and years before me. The van let us out at the home Wade and I were to stay and drove off with the rest of the kids, all of who's hands were out the window waving good-bye to us. It saddened me to see them go, but I was encouraged to know that Solomon was in their lives, taking them out of their poor situations and letting them enjoy life's simple pleasures, even if it is only for a short time. To these kids, this is life. To Solomon, this is the way he shows them love and introduces them to the Author of Life.