SE Asia (Part 3)

As I sit here & think about what this journey has done for our family the words "faith" and "surrender" ring louder and louder in our hearts. So upon our return we have been faced with a greater passion to live by faith. A faith that requires a public response of loyalty. It's about cutting strings to the crutches of life that require no faith and pressing into the power of the Holy Spirit to hear His voice and walk in His power. What are those areas that you have ceased walking in faith? What are those areas that require little trusting of the father's intervention? If you don't have areas that require faith then your faith is futile and things must change. Once you have lived at a level of faith in a situation or area you can't keep living at that level you must continue to live by faith at a greater level.

So back to to how this has changed our family. The amount of unity, purpose, teamwork, and love that has risen up is unfathomable. As a tight family already we couldn't even imagine what we are experiencing now.

One of the greatest days of my life with Jayk happened on the journey. We walked a few miles with our host family and one of their children through the city, the college campus, and to an orphanage. We were simply going to pass by the orphanage to drop off some cookies and see a friend but what we experienced was unbelievable. Upon our arrival to the orphanage we found the workers inside moving the orphan babies from one building into a newly constructed building. So we walked up a couple of flights of stairs into a room full of cribs one after the other. This orphanage has a large amount of children born with disabilities that had been abandoned. I was squatting down outside the room next to Jayk as we looked into the room of these little babies lined up row after row. I will never forget the look on Jayk's face when I was explaining to him what an "orphan" was and that we needed to pray for these babies to have a mom and dad. It was in that moment that he looked at me and said "they don't have a mom and dad?" I told him that Jesus was watching over them with special favor and as soon as I got those words out of my mouth he prayed for all of them real fast and then he said "this is what we do...we follow Jesus." It was powerful beyond words. So as we stood in the hallway while lots of conversation was happening that we didn't understand we also noticed that the children leg's were tied to the crib so they wouldn't stand up or roll over. Yes as you are reading this it should turn your stomach and cause something to rise up with in but the workers are so under staffed there isn't the time for them to see these kids develop at the rate any other child would. Judah during this time was holding tight to Kay and mesmerized by what he was seeing.

Then the most amazing thing happened. Our host began to interpret for us that they were going to allow us to carry the children from the old building to the new building. This never happens people! But it did today because the Father wanted to allow us to be apart of loving on these kids and allow our sons eyes to be made wide open. So we started carrying this kids down a few flights of stairs up the street and around the corner. When we got to the new room we placed the kids on a long mat sitting in the new room until the beds were moved. Then we started carrying the beds with kids in them (not our plan but theirs) to the new building as well. On one of the trips up the stairs there were two police officers with a day old baby and some paper work. We got to witness first hand a baby be dropped off by the authorities then in just a few minutes we got to carry the new (no more than a day old little baby) to the new building. Our hearts broke! Jayk and Judah were amazing. Jayk was running back to the old building as fast as possible so we could get another child while Judah held tightly on to Kay's leg but loved taking care of those kids.

It truly was an remarkable day. To see the doors open up wide and the favor poured out on us. It was a truly a powerful moment for our entire family.

Walking through City (took a rural short cut)

A garden on the way

Jayks first picture of a homemade broom in a foreign land

Man Fishing (Don't drink this water)

The orphanage

The babies

The moment Jayk's eyes were opened to orphans

Carrying to new building

Jayk helping me out

How marvelous!! I am so thankful for this opportunity. More stories coming!

JA