Awakening: Five Days in Burma Part 3- The Children's Homes

Soundtrack #2, from the same album as the first one, linked here for your listening enjoyment.

As mentioned previously, we spent our day Saturday at two different children's homes with our friend Chan Chan who works at MCP.  We spent the morning at the girls' home, a small studio-type apartment not really much bigger than my own.  They seemed to in the process of building a wall dividing the room into two.  The home houses 12 girls, who seemed to range in age from about 8 to 17.  They were warm and welcoming, if a bit shy at first (hey, we were too!)  We played several different games with them- a rock paper scissors competition, duck/duck/goose in Burmese, a group clapping/leader game that I can't explain, and telephone (hilarious with the language barriers).  It was a lot of fun just to see them laugh and play and engage, even if it did mean we were dripping with sweat the entire time.  Literally. Running down.  Here are a few pictures from our game time with the girls:

Rock, Paper, Scissors game

More RPS

Hahahaha. Telephone in Burmese!

After we had played for awhile, the woman who cares for the girls invited us to sit down and eat.  In the back kitchen room, she and one of the older girls had prepared an oatmeal drink (so delicious!) and biscuits for us- you could tell that they really were wanting to give their guests the very best they had to offer.  Such a great example to me as a Westerner of true hospitality.  We ate and talked with her, and then asked her if there was anything we could send to them, and what we could pray for.  She told us they needed clothes, as those were hard to get, and asked us to pray for their education, health, and salvation.  Some of the girls are believers, some are not.  You could read the weight on this woman's shoulders as she spoke to us about the great obstacles they face, just educationally.  What a privilege it was to encourage her and walk with her, even just a tiny bit.  After that all the girls came in and we had the opportunity to pray with and for them!  What an honor. 

God is able
He will never fail
He is almighty God
Greater than all we seek
Greater than all we ask
He has done great things

 

We believe that God is able, even in the lives of these girls, even as we recognize the challenges.  They sleep on bedding on a cement floor, yet they are worth more than the sparrows.  They struggle to find clothing, yet they are more beautiful than the lilies of the field.  They were known and loved in the womb, yet they face an abandonment and poverty that we cannot comprehend.  It is a dichotomy that we cannot understand, but we know that He is able.  So, we do what we can. We will send clothes later this month, and some funds for education, but it is a small thing really.  One thing I have realized on this side of the world (heck, I could learn this even in Detroit) is that the needs are immense and we cannot allow ourselves to be swallowed by them.  Even still, I live daily in the tension of knowing, deep down, that I do not do enough.  

Oatmeal, biscuits, and tea- with the woman who cares for the girls.

Next, we headed to a boys home that is a "sister home" to the one for girls.  By this point I had nearly forgotten about the gallons of sweat pouring down my body.  Nearly.  When we arrived we were ushered to sit down where we were presented with fruit and bottles of cold water.  Not only that, as soon as we sat down several of the boys were standing around us, fanning us.  For a seriously long time!  They wouldn't stop!  

Part of the fanning team.  The woman seated in red takes care of the boys along with her husband.

After refreshments the boys introduced themselves to us.  Many of them stated for us, in English, their name, age, and what they want to be when they grow up.  Talk about touching!  My friend has some video of them saying it, and I'll get it and post some if at all possible.  Designer.  Engineer.  Doctor. Pastor.  Such hopes and dreams.  And, because of this home, they may become a reality.  We taught the boys some songs and played games with them as well.  And then, well, we just hung out.  The boys loved playing with our cameras, listening to music from my friend's iPad, playing guitar, and dancing around.  A great time was had by all.  This was also roughly when my camera battery died :(

Discovering the iPad...

Bedding/beds

Phillip, the son of the couple who cares for the boys

Before we left, we were brought back into the first room where lunch had been set out for us- noodles with either chicken or pork.  What gifts of hospitality.  We sat and ate and again spoke with the woman who cares for the boys and lives there with her husband and four year old son Phillip.  There was such a spirit of discouragement on her face, despite her smile and laughter.  She also requested clothes for the boys, and storybooks if we were able.  And then we were able to pray for the boys, and perhaps just as importantly, for her and her family.  Their goal, she said, is to raise them to be strong leaders in their community, to have strong morals and be followers of Jesus, to be good men.  

God is with us
God is on our side
He will make a way
Far above all we know
Far above all we hope
He has done great things

 

One of the other gifts of this day was the time we got to spend with our dear friend, Chan Chan.  What a gift she gave us- taking us to see the kids (she even took us on the bus to get there, always an adventure!) and we were blessed by her presence and friendship all day.  Encouraging her and others who work day after day for these kids was part of the whole point of going.  He will never fail us. 

 

That evening, one of the missionaries who works with the homes through MCP was having a going away party to prepare for her furlough and she invited us to join them at a nearby park.  Why not?  We jumped into the back of a pick-up truck (read: bus) and headed to the park.  There, we met up with all the girls along with several other of this woman's friends (side note: it was interesting to sit and talk with these women serving in Burma, not an easy country to serve in, and to just get to know them and hopefully encourage them).  It was a joyful celebration- though I must admit, it had been a long day, we were still dripping with sweat, and I was, emmm, playing large group games with a bunch of strangers (gag).  It actually wasn't too bad and we were talked into staying and eating with them after the games.  At this point we had to say good bye to Chan Chan, as well as all of our other new friends.  We limped back to our hotel where we showered, dropped into bed, and slept for 10 hours.  Whew!