Whatever the reason, life comes at us from directions unexpected. That is not to say that all is bad, but simply to suggest that there are times when we expect certain things to go one way and they decide to go their own way, far from the path we expect them to travel on. I expected to travel on a bumpy road, to a project with significantly impoverished children who longed for a decent life. That is not what happened today. With all good intentions, we travelled to our site, saw about 185 children, identified a number of children in need of advanced care, and participated in the feeding program watching the children eat their meal that is given to them by OCM daily. We noticed that because of this program, the children were much more nutritionally on target for their age as compared to the children yesterday who did not have access to daily meals. And here is where the expectations turned a little to the north, to the positive side. I expected to see children who were sicker, more malnourished, more impoverished since we were in a locale much poorer than where we were yesterday. The children were in fact a little sicker, more impoverished but relatively well nourished and well adjusted despite the conditions that they lived in. They were happy, content and interactive. The 2 projects that the children came from today, embraced a holistic approach in giving the children what they needed and deserved in order for them to experience life to their fullest potential. It is because of the dedication of the teachers, the project leaders, the pastors and the local OCM leadership, that the children were moving in the direction of personhood and worth.
One child who was born with a significant discrepancy in leg length, had surgery a few months ago to correct his gait that OCM financially supported through our Children's Crisis Fund. He walks without a limp now, is self confident and plays with the other children. It is things like this that make what we do worthwhile. Giving a child a chance to be a child.
The team worked flawlessly. After yesterday nothing could slow us down. Everyone made the most of their individual talents and served the children. We leave tomorrow for another remote area and will be there for a few days. I'll wait to see where the road takes us. No expectations this time. I'll go where the road leads us and trust that it will end in a safe haven for children who have had little and now have something. Love and caring.
In all things give thanks,
David
