Play-Doh

There are opportunities everyday to teach and learn.  Teachable moments are ever present to relay the truth of the Bible.

This morning at the orphanage one of the boys Jorge was playing with his Play-Doh with his younger brother Miguel.  I took Jorge aside to homework and he let Miguel borrow the play-doh.  Miguel lost the play-doh and Jorge got mad at his younger brother.  Unfortunately stealing is very common at the orphanage.  So I took Miguel and we started looking for the missing play-doh and were unable to find it.  I told Miguel that he needed to talk to Jorge and tell him what happened.  So Miguel talks to him and tries to offer his favorite light-up remote control Lightening McQueen car to make up for what happened, but Jorge doesn't accept.

Miguel comes back downstairs frustrated that Jorge didn't accept his gift.  And I ask him if he had asked for forgiveness and apologized for losing Jorge's play-doh.  Miguel says no.  I explain to him that he cannot earn nor win Jorge's forgiveness.  That like God's forgiveness offered to us, we cannot earn it but it, but it is freely given to us through Jesus's sacrifice.  Miguel agrees and returns upstairs to ask for forgiveness.  After a couple minutes he returns crying saying that Jorge did not forgive him.

After wiping his tears away, I go upstairs with Miguel and sit down with the two of them.  We discuss what had happened.  I explain that it is hard to forgive somebody who has hurt us.  But that forgiveness does not mean that we agree with what was done to us nor that we are "happy" and "okay".  I shared with him how about a year ago somebody had stolen some valuable things from my house and later asked me for forgiveness.  Was I happy that he had stolen from me?  No.  I was sad and felt betrayed.  Did he deserve my forgiveness? No.  But I needed to forgive him because God forgives me and we are supposed to forgive others as God has forgiven us.  I explained to Jorge that it is not easy, but we need to humble ourselves and reflect God's heart and forgive as He forgives.

Jorge said "no" and went downstairs.  Miguel, the little 6 year old whose smile shines brighter than any kid I know, got down on his knees and started bawling.  I hugged him and reassured him that he had done all he could do.  He had humbled himself and asked for forgiveness.  God had already forgiven him.  He replied, "I know, but Jorge cares more about his play-doh than he does me.  He loves his play-doh more than he loves me his own brother."

Wow.  Those are some deep thoughts for a 6 year old kid.  I shared with him that sometimes our pride gets in the way and we think only of ourselves and that it makes it hard to forgive people.  We talked about how Miguel was demonstrating a humble heart in asking forgiveness.  And that unfortunately something is wrong in Jorge's heart in not wanting to forgive.  It all has to do with the heart.  Our thoughts, actions and words are a reflection of our heart.  We prayed for Jorge and that God would change his heart.  And I gave Miguel a big hug and he went off to school.

There are days like this that are truly bittersweet.

A New Year, A New Lesson

These past 2 weeks have been the most difficult time for me here in Guadalajara.  I've really seen first hand just how GOOD and FAITHFUL God is.  A good friend reminded me that HE fights for you and I, we need only to be still. (Exodus 14:14).  And it is so true.

On Monday December 26th I took one of the little boys, Coby, to the Cruz Verde (Urgent Care) because he had 11 seizures in one day.  They treated Coby with an IV, medicine, and an oxygen mask.  We arrived at 10pm and weren't released until 5am the following morning.  The doctors gave us a new dosage of Coby's medicine and told us to take him to the hospital to have a neurologist run some brain scans.  So that Thursday I took him to the hospital and while in the waiting room of the ER he had another seizure.  They rushed him in and treated him and told us to come back the following morning (Friday) to get an appointment for the brain scans.

So we leave 6am Friday morning for the hospital and wait in numerous lines, talk with various doctors, social workers, etc.  Coby does not have health insurance.  The government offers free health insurance to kids in orphanages, but Coby does not have a birth certificate nor is he registered with the government making it impossible for him to have health insurance.  So after talking with the hospital they agree to treat Coby and give him the brain scan.  We are in the hospital the entire weekend of New Years with Coby and on Monday they give us the results of the brain scan and change his medication which should now better control his seizures.

It was a very stressful week communicating with the Urgent Care, Hospital, Government, Orphanage, Social Work, etc.  But God really taught me a lot about His sovereignty.  Even though everything seemed to be stacked up against us, God was for us.  I could do literally nothing.  The guys on my team (who were in the US at the time) could do literally nothing.  All we could do was trust God.


Through all of this I had no idea what to pray for.  But Coby showed me how to pray when all he could utter was "Cristo ayudame" (Jesus, help me).

On the way to the hospital

Explaining to Coby that we are going to spend the night at the hospital

Play-Dough 

The doctors let Coby play with his top "trompo" in the patio

Finally leaving the hospital!

Peace Out Hospital!

Out for Pizza after a long week a the hospital

I was encouraged by this quote by Calvin in a book on the "Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault" called Rid of My Disgrace:

Every good thing we could think or desire is to be found in this same Jesus Christ alone.  For, 

He was sold, to buy us back;
captive, to deliver us;
condemned, to absolve us;
He was made a curse for our blessing,
sin offering for our righteousness;
marred that we may be made fair;
He died for our life;
so that by Him fury is made gentle,
wrath appeased,
darkness turned into life; 

FEAR REASSURED,  

despisal despised,

DEBT CANCELED,
LABOR LIGHTENED,
SADNESS MADE MERCY,
MISFORTUNE MADE FORTUNATE,
DIFFICULTY EASY,
DISORDER ORDERED,
DIVISION UNITED,    

ignominy ennobled,
rebellion subjected,
intimidation intimidated,
ambush uncovered,
assaults assailed,
force forced back,
combat combated,
war warred against,
vengeance avenged,
torment tormented,
damnation damned,
the abyss sunk into the abyss,
hell transfixed,
death dead,
mortality made immortal. 

In short, mercy has swallowed up all misery, and goodness all misfortune. 

For all these things which were to be the weapons of the devil in his battle against us, and the sting of death to pierce us, are turned for us into exercises which we can turn for our profit. 

If we are able to boast with the Apostle, saying, O hell, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? IT IS BECAUSE BY THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, WE LIVE NO LONGER, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN US. 

 

We could not have gotten through these 2 weeks without God.  Everything was against us, but God was for us and God fought for us.

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14

Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for Coby's health.