I feel like a kid again

“I remember…the kindness of thy youth.” Jeremiah 2:2.

I’m not sure if there is anything else that makes you feel like a kid more than living in an orphanage. We have 13 beautiful children here and all stages of life represented. Watching some of them just learning how to walk and talk, while the older girls are making plans for what they want to do with their lives, and a whole lot of mischief in between. I watch them read their bibles and say bible verses to me. There is a glow of excitement in the little ones eyes when they sing Sunday School songs, a glow that fades in most people’s lives as they grow older. It causes me to reflect and wonder, where has my childlike faith and wonder of God gone? There is no spontaneity anymore. I have to plan quiet times and devotions instead of eagerly bouncing around singing His praises at whim.  And instead of humility and awe, there is expectation that He will make things easy for me, and then there is resentment when things do not go as planned. This season of moving to another country has brought with it, a mindset of entitlement that I am ashamed to have brought with me. That because I have followed Him this far, I should be in control of what happens next…WRONG. The prayer that is flowing out of my heart in repentance today is that His love would ooze out of me. That I would be SO in love with Him, that I cannot help but radiate His love. And that I would find that exciting thrill and wonder of Him that existed in the beginning. It is that mindset that I strive to wake with each day. That I would not care about anything but Him, so that I do not care about where I go or what I do, and that I would not act in accordance of what I think I should do or give, but do everything as if working for Him, because I am working for Him.

Speaking of work, the city girl from Iowa side of me is really starting to shine. The nickname Casper the friendly ghost has been a real crowd pleaser so far and I have really come out of my shell in the garden. I’m not sure I will live it down from the children, after walking out into the chicken manure fertilized ground with grocery sacks on my feet. But despite how ridiculous I looked, the task of planting squash was accomplished. I brought along my gnome from the states, Phillip. He is loving the garden and the kids love to hide him in different places each day. But I think I am allergic to Africa. As one who has never had any trouble with allergies, I am perplexed at the amount of mucus my body is producing. Seriously, if they ever come up with a use for human mucus, I could retire and live well off the profits. The air here is so unlike Iowa weather. It is in the 80s and 90s here but the air is dry and enjoyable. But my goodness, there is something in the air here that has caused my sinuses to throw a temper tantrum like none other.