Side note: We tried going to this building last year, but were unable to get in. I posted that story in this entry: May 30th, 2012, and it may be beneficial to readers to reread it before continuing...
We went to a building where they have classes for kids who are able to participate. We saw an art class, a cooking class, a building/constructing class, and a choreography class. They put on two WONDERFUL performances for us! The teacher was wonderful, and he made me smile, besides the kids, who were just having a great time. Here's a video of one of their performances...
I think one of the most disheartening things about visiting this orphanage, or others that are of a similar nature, is all the kids who are in there because of physical handicaps, rather than mental. Not because they're unhappy, because they all seemed quite content. It's because of their futures - every one of these kids, with any sort of infirmity, is headed for a "human warehouse," as Pastor calls it. This just has to be one more situation where I need to be grateful for what is rather than wishing for what could be. At least these kids have 18 years (sometimes more, depending on the institution,) to laugh, smile, and learn about God's love. All the workers seem to love their job and the kids, and the kids are all smiling and happy. It really is a nice place - just hard to think about what comes after for them.
Side note: After some reflection time upon returning to the States, I remembered being very upset by this orphanage last year, despite the fact that we weren't able to go in. We had been informed that this orphanage would be hard to visit because of the kids who were bedridden - their situations were often bad, and they weren't necessarily as comfortable as the children I got to meet on this day. However, last year, we were unable to get in, and I consoled myself with the idea that I was not emotionally prepared to meet those kids.
This year, we were able to go in, so I thought that I'd be more ready, more prepared. But this year, we didn't go past the classrooms. We only saw kids who were mobile and active, participating in extracurricular activities.
Two years in a row, I haven't seen those kids who I saw pictures of last year, who I heard stories of, who I was warned I wouldn't want to take pictures of because I would only hurt more every time I looked at them. Something tells me that God's protecting me from what I would see, that I'm just not supposed to meet them in person.
However, that doesn't stop me from thinking that they still need our prayers - in fact, it makes me think that they need our prayers more than ever. Those kids are hurting a lot, are trapped inside feeble bodies or feeble minds, and have been brutally cast aside by their society. I pray that the love of God still reaches them, that they are blessed with gentle and loving staff members who care about the children, not just about their pay. I pray that somewhere, within those walls, these kids can build a relationship with someone, learn to love someone, at least one someone, and that their lives are not complete loneliness. I pray that one day, I will be able to hug their perfect bodies in heaven, bodies that will have no blemishes, no disabilities, no limitations at all, bodies that will join me in praising our Father in heaven, forever and ever.
On a much brighter note, we visited Volosovo today!!! This time around, almost all the kids were there and the little ones were up from their nap! Last year, most of the older kids were in school, and the younger ones were napping when we got there, so we didn't get much interaction with anyone aside from the director, which was fine, but it was nice to meet the kids this year!! We had so much time to interact with the kiddos! Also, they were super hyper and a ton of fun.
Our director, Olga, is a very, very nice woman who works hard for the orphanage and the kids. She is very grateful for Friedensau's help and sent me a gift for the church - a paper Chinese folding paper swan - it's gorgeous. It was such a fun day, and I loved getting to see our orphanage again - such a blessing for me to go back!
No comments:
Post a Comment