‘They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes’. Rev: 7: 16-17.
Walking back to Campus after attending an evening in Emanuel Chapel hosted by the Moody Bible Institute Chorale, my husband and I spoke of the excellence and perfection of the arrangements. The anointed ministry portraying precious pearls of Promise, Peace, Assurance and Love. The strains of a much loved hymn by George Matheson filled my heart: ‘O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go’ I immediately thought of the teenage orphan girls I had visited earlier in the day who could certainly ‘trace the rainbow through the rain’. Rejected pearls, cast aside but chosen, loved and rescued and all because someone cared.
Shattered lives trying to survive in a world of imperfection and emptiness. Eyes searching yours as they clasp your hand and from a frame of weakness gently whisper, ‘This is my world, staring at the ceiling, an empty fireplace, green walls, no one cares, no one calls’. A young teenager ‘I think I contracted Leukemia eating strawberries without washing them’. The clouds are heavy just now as I listen day after day to their cries for help and assurance. Their storm clouds are gathering fast. These people matter to me and fill my heart with a passionate concern and yet I feel helpless. ‘Lord, help me to know that I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me’. ‘Help me to serve in suffering with an earnestness to ‘give my best’. Another thought from the pen of R T Kendall quoting from Exodus 20. In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out, but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out-until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day and fire was in the cloud at night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, during all their travels. He comments: ‘Israel was locked into this manner of direct guidance from God. They could only move when the cloud lifted. If the cloud did not lift they stayed. No matter how tedious and tasteless that particular place in the wilderness might have been, they had to stay put until they were released to move on. The cloud did not adjust to the Israelites. They had to adjust to the cloud.’
Torrential rains, thunderstorms, forked lightning have been faithful companions these weeks, making my journey eventful at times. There have been days I have questioned ‘What am I doing here’? Days when I fear failure, days when I question ‘will I be able to finish the work I have been given?’ My thoughts turn to the Prophet Elijah (I Kings 20) ‘Go out and stand,,,’ A mighty wind storm, earthquake, fire, but then the sound of a ‘gentle whisper’. There is a long journey ahead but I am not alone and with your prayerful support, together we will finish the work He has given us to do.
Thousands of orphaned, disabled and abandoned children pass through the Child Protection System in Romania each year. They will never feel the heartbeat or know the love of a ’Mum’ to guide them through life; instead they are psychologically and emotionally damaged. They have no future of academic achievement or professional skills. Instead at the early age of eighteen they must leave the system with little or no prospects ahead, homeless and jobless, forced by the pangs of hunger to beg for food. Only this morning I was approached by a young girl holding a baby, desperate for food. Again I asked myself ‘What am I doing here’? ‘Am I making a difference’? Monika Mahr (Director) of Casa Grace leads her team by example. Her priorities are ‘putting people first’. People matter to this team rather than meeting deadlines, timetables or work schedules. I think of Casa Grace as a place of ‘Beginning Again’. A Prefab Home, Water Connection, (family illustrated above) Washing Machine, Food – they are always looking out for others and caring enough to show it. I see firsthand their level of love, commitment and time given to the rejected and disadvantaged children of Romania. They serve humbly as a team and I have come to love their hearts of service and feel privileged to share the Love of God to those who are powerless to help themselves, who are the outcasts of this land of pain. Mic 6: 8 ‘…this is what He requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God’.
It will be difficult to say ‘goodbye;’ to ‘let go’. Separated by thousands of miles but as long as my life will last I can and will keep on loving by showing love in action. Our final week will be busy, visits every day with one special visit to My Dora on Tuesday. Dr. Moore will accompany me to the Orphanage on Wednesday when it will be our joy to distribute the items lovingly donated by the supporters of Tell Romania. Plans are in progress regarding ADAM’S ROOM; three of my girls, Miriam, Silvia and Alice will paint the room during the summer. Meantime I will be sourcing nursery carpet, nursery furniture, etc; We can show our love to these little darlings and show our love to the Lord through loving ‘These My Little Ones’.
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O Light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to Thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
Shirley, 20 May, 2017