Who's Stolen My Heart?

Friday we went to the orphanage in Kimbondo with my friend Myndii.  That's not us in the vehicle above, but that IS what the kids do when they see us coming.  We always get a great reception.  A few people have said to me that they think I am doing a good thing for the kids by going to the orphanage and playing with them.  The reality is that it is good for me on many levels and I am probably more blessed than the kids are by my visits.  Spending a day with them really puts any problems I am facing into a different perspective.    And the welcome I get from them each time I arrive is so fun!  It's a little like the old Cheers tv show where everyone hollered Norm's name each time he arrived.  They know I am there just to be with them and it's a big deal to them.  

Myndii knows some songs in Lingala and started singing to a few little ones.  Before long, a group of children had pulled chairs over and were sitting around her and singing along.  Every time she stopped they asked for more.  One boy caught my attention because he was singing with a big smile on his face and obviously having fun.  I asked him what his name was and he said "Dieu Merci (Thank you, God)."  Dieu Merci has a sweet spirit and tons of potential.  Pray for him!

Pray for this baby too.  I am not sure about gender but I call her a girl because I don't like to say "it." She's new at the orphanage.  The kids who have been here a while never look like this.  She tried to cry when she saw us and no sound even came out of her mouth, she is so weak.  I rubbed her chest and tummy and talked to her but was afraid to pick her up without asking the doctor and he wasn't around.  It is really heartbreaking to see kids in this condition.

Nori, one of the staff members, asked me to take a photo of her with some of the kids.  The staff and older kids put the little ones up on this wall all the time.  We always were amazed that none of them ever seemed to fall.  Right after I took this, the little guy third from the right face planted on the concrete below.  I picked him up and was really surprised not to find any chipped teeth or any blood.  He cried for a while and then fell asleep in my lap.



Remember the 52 Challenge?  The bad news is that I am not keeping up with the goal to memorize a verse each week.  The good news is that I am still plugging along.  I try not to beat myself up with guilt and instead remind myself that the spirit of the challenge is to motivate people to hide God's Word in their hearts.  It's all about knowing God, not about the tally marks.

My newest verse leapt out of the pages at me the other day and really bit me:

"How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?" - John 5:44

Everyone likes to hear an occasional "well done!"  I'm no exception.  If praise from others had no effect on us, Satan would lose one of his most valuable tools for luring us down the wrong path.  I've been thinking about my motives a lot since God showed me this verse.  How much of what I say and do is carefully worded or planned to prompt others to praise and admire me, and even worse, to do so instead of praising the Father?  Am I trusting God to know when I need encouragement and provide it?  There is a song I like a lot by Leeland, in which he sings to God: "You've stolen my heart! Yes, You have!"  Am I so in love with God that his praise means more to me than the praises of people ever could?