There is something about a child that makes my heart skip a beat. Their innocence is reflected in their wide eyes and as they reach for me I can’t imagine anything better than holding them in my arms. It is the easist thing in the world for me to love with everything I have on kids, I think my heart was made for it.
This week my team and I have had the opportunity to love on kids every single day. From 7am to 5pm our time is completely consumed by them. We have been living in a children’s school in the slums in Belo Horizonte and each day we teach the kids bible lessons, sing songs with them, and play games. We have been serving along side along some very incredible people who give up their week to pour out on these kids, recieving no paycheck for it.
We are staying in a community that is deeply oppressed. The issues of drugs, drinking, and violence are some of the main things these people deal with. The children come from broken families, most without fathers. Some of these kids carry the burdens of their home life to school and their pain is written all over their faces, other come to school with bright eyes, grinning from ear to ear eager to learn, play and be loved.
When we first arrived here and I saw what we would be doing I was thrilled. The whole first day I felt more at peace than ever before. God was speaking His joy and love over me and enabling me to speak it into the kids. I couldn’t get enough! I felt as though I was doing what God had made me to and He blessed every part of my day. God has called me into international missions and he has called me into children’s ministry. I have never been so excited in my life! Knowing my spiritual gifts and being able to walk them out and being unbelievably blessed by God through it is changing me. My desires have changed and the plan I thought I had for my life is changing. As of now I have no set plans but I am trusting God to tell me where to go and what to do when the time is right. Its all in His timing.
Enough about me! I have seen such greatness in each one of my teammates. It is so obvious what each one of their gifts are. I have loved coming along side of them and witnessing the incredible things God has been doing in all of them. We have been through struggles and some difficult moments. But God has been working through each one of us to make us a cohesive family that can first love eachother and then love the people we are ministering to. There is nothing like living in community!
