Obedience

Ever since we visited the orphanage with Mario a few weeks ago, I have felt that God was keeping the orphanage on my heart for some reason.  While we were away in Tegucigalpa for the week, I felt that Pastor Mike's messages were talking straight to me especially when talked about when you know something but do nothing about it, it is sin.  He was referring to any event where you see injustice or just something that isn't right.  To me it was something that I was sort of struggling with internally. 

I guess I was just trying to be in my own little cocoon in Copan, safe and sound without anything "bugging" me while I am studying this new language.  I have to be honest and say that I truly had no intention of spending any more time at the orphanage after we were there with Mario because I felt like there was SO much that needed to be done for that place and if I came in and did anything, it would be more of a band-aid.  I was even talking to a friend in Copan and was open with her about this and she said a really wise thing to me: even if I went for a day, it is one more day they had help. 

So, I made a promise to God that I would go even though I felt like I would be a band-aid.  That I would go in obedience.  However, last night, I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep because a muscle was spasming out in my right leg, so I started praying that it would go away because I was so tired.  As I was talking to God, he asked me if I had any intention of going to the orphanage this weekend.  I knew I would go, so I answered yes.  And I would go with an open mind and an open heart.  He also told me to practice my Spanish, and that they would tell me that they really needed plates and cups (reusable) for the kids.  I went through some phrases in Spanish that I knew I would use, and shortly after fell back to sleep *and the spasm went away*.

This morning I woke up, had breakfast with Ryan, and I told him that I really wanted to go to the orphanage today; he was all in.  So we arrived around 1:15pm and were invited in by the directora because she remembered us from when we came with Doctor Mario.  She asked us to sit down one of two benches they had in the room, and she sat right next to us.  In no time the kids were swarming and so Ryan and I spent a little time just loving on the kids.  Ryan said if anything, these kids need some affection.  This one little boy wanted to sit right next to me, he couldn't have been more than 1 and a half years old, so I picked him up and sat him on my lap while Ryan entertained the kids with his juggling skills with the limes they were eating as a snack.

After a while, I was talking to the directora and asking what we could do to help.  She started talking about the fact that she doesn't receive enough money for the orphanage and has a lot of needs.  At first I thought she was asking for money, so I told her that I didn't have any money to give her, but looking back it all makes sense.  She continued talking and said that more than anything the kids needed plates and cups.  You can call it coincidence, but I know it wasn't.  Before I knew it she handed me a list of things they really needed and said that anything would help.  She said I didn't have to get everything on the list, she said, "Que tu puedes." (What you can).  She also said whatever God puts on your heart.

Ryan and I left and came back an hour later with 20 plastic plates, 20 plastic cups, laundry soap, bleach, scrubbers, chicken consume, pitchers for beverages, sugar, and coffee.  But it wasn't about what we bought or even the fact that we did.  It was so easy to buy those things.  It was the fact that we went when God asked.  I think the coolest thing that came out of today is the fact that I CAN be an answer to prayer.  We ALL can.  I've always wanted to have a super cool story to tell like this one.  I can't wait for more to come.