Welcoming New Hearts
It is He who remembered us in our low estate, for His steadfast love endures forever;
And rescued us from our foes, for His steadfast love endures forever. Psalms 136:23
One of my favorite things to experience at Upendo is greeting the new kids that arrive at our gate. Every child is different, with a different story to tell of how they came to our Children’s Village. But God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. His steadfast love endures forever!
Here is the story of one new arrival:
In church Sunday morning during one of my visits to Upendo, I noticed a man standing in the back with two small children, both girls. One was standing close to his side and the other was in his arms. All of them were crying.
The man explained that his wife had died giving birth to their third child. He and his mother were not able to support or care for all 5 of them, so he brought the two oldest girls to the church in hope that we would take them from him.
We explained that we would be willing to care for them but that he had to go through the proper channels. He had to go to the headman in his village and both of them sign a document stating that he, the father, has agreed to hand over his children to Upendo Children’s Village, and that the story he was telling was the truth.
The very next morning, the father and two girls came to the gate of the orphanage with the required documentation and he left his children with us. The face of the older girl showed no emotion except for the tears that left water marks down her dusty cheeks. The youngest was angry and sad and aggressive. She hit and bit and kicked any adult that tried to get near her or help her.
While this was all unfolding, I was crying in a corner. I can only imagine what their little hearts were feeling. They just lost their mother and said goodbye to their father, perhaps forever. Everything had happened so quickly, and now here they were with a bunch of other parentless children. They had no idea what was going to happen next.
Suddenly the whole scene changed. God showed up and took over. One by one the Upendo kids walked over and led the two new girls over to where they could get some food. I stood there in awe; the kids just saw a need and filled it.
When everyone was done eating, children led the girls to where they were able to get new dresses and underwear and pants and tops and SHOES! Again, they saw a need and filled it. Once the girls had their new outfits, they were led over to where they would be sleeping. Another need fulfilled, another question answered.
All afternoon and into the evening I stood in the corner and watched the kids love on the new girls, showing them the same love and affection that they had been shown. Despite having many unmet needs of their own, our kids saw another with more urgent needs, stopped worrying about themselves and took the time to help heal the hearts of two little strangers.
Two weeks later I was back home in the states when I received an email with a picture of two of the most beautiful little smiling faces I had ever seen. I looked a little closer and realized that the smiles were those of the two little girls whose father had handed them over just two weeks ago.
Whoa! Upendo! LOVE. It was written all over the faces of these little girls. I could not believe the happiness and confidence and joy on their faces. I thought no way are these the same girls! But there they were.
That afternoon watching our kids lovingly and faithfully welcome new children to the village changed me inside. God showed me why we are building Upendo Children’s Village. He wanted a safe place for broken hearts to be healed. The love that is shown to these kids is the same love they will pour out to the rest of Mzuzu when they are older.
Upendo. Love. It’s in our name and in our hearts.
Heavenly Father, thank You for these hearts You have entrusted us with. Thank You for the task You have given us of loving the motherless and the fatherless. Thank You for showing us Your love first. Your perfect love has met us where we are. Thank You for this gift!