He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

Whew. Time is flying now. We just got back from a fantastic weekend in Siem Reap with Sharon, Theary, Cassie, and Sarah! But we have to backtrack a little bit to catch all of you up to date on our happenings here! 

This past Wednesday we went out to an orphanage, better termed “children’s home”, with Ravy and Sharon. It is named Holy Baby and is home to about 60 kids ranging from age 14 months to 14 years. There are five wonderful women there who take care of all the children- feed them, make sure they get a bath and wash their hands often, cradle and feed two specific little boys with disabilities. They even sleep on the concrete floor as the babies sleep at night. These nannies are loving and care about each of the children. They are strong and sweet women for sure, but to make this even more endearing- they are called mommy. These kids are able to call them mommy in the absence of birth parents. This organization is very organized, clean, and also relational. It really looks out for these kids’ and their futures. They ensure that these kids go to school and then when they reach age 14 they pay their way to learn and live at a trade school. Rather than just a place to lay their head at night, these kids have a place to grow and to learn to love one another. While there we discussed with the children Agape- how great and big God’s love is for us and also that love is patient, humble, and kind (1 Cor. 13) so we should love our neighbors in this way. 

The kids warmed up to us quickly when we taught them “My God is So Big” and the “Hip-Hip-Hippopotamus” song. They kinda looked at us like we were crazy during the latter one, but by round three they were laughing and motioning with us. We finished the song time out with “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”. Now, this song can have as many verses as you choose, so after sister and brother, we began to sing each and every kid’s name into the song. We would point to them one after another and the “mommies” would say their name and the kids would bashfully look down or light up with a smile, but either way it was a powerful moment of affirmation for these precious kiddos. I began thinking that night that this is a critical part of growing up, having someone to encourage you in your pursuits, someone to affirm your worth, someone to genuinely love you for who you are. And though this ultimately can be attributed to God, these littles ones need someone to demonstrate even a sliver of His love for us and to tell them about Him. All children, those found in the countryside, slums, and children’s homes of Cambodia to those found in ritzy homes in the States need this to develop into the best version of themselves they can be. 

These kids that we met may have lost their parents, may have been given up because the parents didn’t have the funds to raise them, or may have even been left at the clinic after the mother gave birth simply because she didn’t have the resources to care for this  child. But these kids are growing regardless and each one has their own story, passions, and future. God has a plan for each one of them and I am so thankful for that. He has each and every one of these little ones in His strong and loving hands.

 

During our day there we brought bubbles to play with with the kids, we played “elephant, elephant, cat” in Khmer (yes, that’s because saying duck, duck, goose is too difficult in another language), and we held a little English- Khmer lesson with several of the older kids. Mallory whipped out her speech path skills as she explained how to pronounce words and how the plural of shoe is shoes. One of the oldest girls had a small, tattered picture book that gave the English and Khmer for each one so we went through and practiced our Khmer as they practiced their English. One of the most common activities of the day was picking up one of the kids and spinning around in a circle. Such simple fun and joy; definitely something to learn from.

In a book I’m reading, “The Ragamuffin Gospel”, the author says that we are to become like children as we become part of the kingdom. That rather than dwelling on past failures or triumphs or future worries, we rely on Abba and that our Father has blessed us not because we have merited it, but because He takes pleasure in each one of His little children. And as we develop a relationship with Him we don’t have to come in pretense, we don’t have to accomplish certain things. He accepts us as we are. As I stood in the middle of the children’s home with four kiddos climbing all over me, I thought, yeah, God accepts us like this and from that should come this simple and pure joy. So spin around in a circle and smile because He’s got the whole world in His hands.

With Love,

Shanleigh