[God Moment. ...a moment in your life when you feel God's presence and can see Him at work in your life.]
“We think we have it bad. I feel disgusted thinking about how much I've taken for granted. Until you have seen the living conditions of the village we visited, you can't fully understand. I can't even imagine living like that.
Their houses were made of slabs of metal, poorly connected with nails. The floors were mostly made of dirt with an occasional matted down rug. Many houses were connected with very narrow, metal hallways. Which means to get to your house, you could have to go through someone's house or "porch." Many of the nine houses we brought food to were significantly smaller than my bedroom. Dogs roamed the village; every one of them were clearly sick and had fleas. Most of them had torn ears, and one of their faces was half torn apart. There was literally no sunlight where we were. It was all hidden by metal and trees.
Before we went into the village to deliver the food, the pastor and Raymond told us about the people who live in the village; more specifically the members of their church. We were told that one of the biggest problems the people were working to overcome was child prostitution. Girls were often forced into sexual relations as young as eleven years old and the pastor knew a seventeen year old girl who had already had three kids. …I can't keep my room clean for more than a week and my mom still does my laundry, and this girl my age has three little lives to take care of. I get exhausted babysitting for a few hours!
Other problems that filled the village were alcoholism, drug addiction, and domestic abuse. One of the women we met was eight and a half months pregnant, and the man she lives with abuses her. One of her five kids had just come home from the doctor where he had just found out he had a parasite. All the children in this village lived in literal waste and disease.
As we walked through the village we were all in shock. We walked in silence as we took in the trash, the dirt, and the entire village falling apart around us. Despite all of this, the families we visited were eager to let us into their homes. They were extremely passionate, especially when we prayed for them. One woman in particular especially moved us. She was old and sick and had fifteen people living in her small house. She was in a lot of pain and had issues with her feet, but she walked up and down the steep hill three times a week to attend all of the offered church services. She also walked to the other side of the village just to come watch her son and all the other children play with us.
The kids were so excited when we came the next day. They were so full of joy just for us to be there. …I seemed to have caught the attention of one little girl who constantly pulled me around with her and begged for me to hold her. It made me wonder what kind of attention they all get at home. Raymond told us that most of the children don’t have a stable father figure; some of them don’t even know who their father is. I pray they know their real Father would never abandon them. Their Heavenly Father loves them, and is there for them in all circumstances.
We planted seeds and I pray they continue to grow. There truly were some inspirational women, making every effort to live their lives for The Lord. I was amazed by the faith the women demonstrated, despite their impossible living conditions.”
LOVE, Abby
No comments:
Post a Comment