Make Her Strong Again--CF Anti-Traffic/Indonesia

As we takeoff from Taipei, it has now been four days since we left Sarah's House. The emotions of wondering if we would be accepted are five weeks behind us and now we are only days removed from the hugs and hard goodbyes.

We restored friendships with two of the girls from two years ago and became “Oma” and “Opa” to the rest of the residents. We were there to greet the newest and youngest member of Sarah’s House as she was quickly adopted into the 'sisterhood'.

Falling into the daily routine meant greeting them as they finished breakfast and completed their morning chores. As we did our work and taught classes, each of the girls had their activities, whether it was school, crafts, computer instruction, preparing for home visits, doing their laundry, or learning to play the guitar. They are teenage girls with the same concerns as any teenager would have, and their house moms have to deal with the same challenges that other moms have to deal with. They want friendships and acceptance. They want to know what they will be doing in the next year.But they also have concerns that no teenager should have. They need to know that the God  whispered His love to them while they were babies, is a God that will still love them as they are dealing with a world that stole their childhood.

They are surrounded by staff who provide them with the resources to rebuild their lives. They have activities and worship time. They are constantly shown love, and I hope they can feel the power of the prayers that are sent up for them by saints that are now spread around the world.

Our small team was given the task of home 'beautification'. One of the projects was to build a fountain. The place we chose to build it was on a trash pile by the wall across from the entrance to the house. This area was the least likely space that could be 'beautified'. It seemed our best effort would fall short. Each shovel hit rock, ceramic tile, roots, or buried concrete. But eventually we scraped and dug and moved enough debris into a mound on the driveway--the size of a Volkswagen (which no one drives over here). We bought plants to surround the fountain, put steps up to it, and it actually was worthy of our project name. One of our team members saw a picture of the finished work since wasn’t able to stay; this is what he said when his responsed by saying, "That is so awesome! Just what the Lord likes to do…clean out the pile of junk and debris, replant, and build it into a fountain of bubbling living water for His, ours, and others enjoyment.”

At the moment, it is hard to know which world we are in… the one that we are returning to with our family or the one we just left.  We’re not omniscient but we have hearts that can love those in another world without diminishing the love we have for our family. And with all of our prayers we can help ‘beautify’ those who feel like they have lost their beauty.