"Hallelujah!

Grace like rain,

Falling down on me.

Hallelujah!

All my stains are washed away,

are washed away."

I walked into the orphanage, rain pouring down all around us.  All the children are on the back porch, not quite knowing what to do.  One small boy is laying on the ground crying crying crying, not understanding the rain, no one holding him, curled up on the cement porch.  I snatch him up, trying to comfort him, he holds on so tightly.  He quiets after a few moments, never releasing his grip around my shoulders.

I begin to speak to the children about the “wata” falling from the sky.  Where did it come from? Who sent it? God sends the rain down.  The rain is good. 

Genesis 9:8-17 was the reading I had prepared.  Coincidence? Nope.  Jesus?  Absolutely!  We looked at all the water around us.  If there is this much water from only twenty minutes of rain, how much more water would there be from a whole day of rain? What about forty days of rain?! Oh, “plenty wata” they said, enough to wash away many people.  Will God let that happen to us?? No.  The rainbow was the sign of God’s promise to us, that He will not let that happen again.

A few of us went to the schoolroom to make rainbows, while Kim read to the rest of them on the porch.  With only a few children, we were able to have some really good conversation.  Many of the children are being adopted, Praise the Lord! Most of them to families in America.  Good news, to those hopeful of the new life ahead of them.  Heartbreaking to those who do not have a family yet.  Harsh words were spoken between some of them – one talking about her mother who had just come to visit, the other who’s mother had recently sent pictures.  Others upset because their friends are leaving.  One who is leaving said that God had heard her prayer and given her a family, and the one next to her asked me why God hadn’t listened to her same prayer for a family.   They wanted to send their artwork to their families in the states, some who don’t have families yet.

What to say? I asked them if they knew what jealousy was – and they did not.  I explained that jealousy is when we want what other people have.  God gives us what WE need, in His time.  I said that God does not give you what someone else needs – does she need trousers like He does? No.  God answers us each individually.  “But don’t we all get families?  Isn’t that the point?” they asked.  Right now, we are each other’s family, and we have to trust that God will hear our prayers, and we need to continue to ask Him, because in the Bible God says that we should ask. 

Wow.  I can only begin to understand what these precious children are going through.  Real life to deal with, and they are so young.  Please pray that they will hear the Holy Spirit speaking to them through all the volunteers and workers at the orphanage – that they will build their new and uncertain lives on solid ground.  Please pray the Lord will lay on all of our hearts the right words to say.

I took a video in a taxi the other day - I think its a great representation of how most of Ghana looks, so if you want to "experience"Ghana...Click Here