I went with the Construction team April 6, after we had our devotion about acceptance and our scripture was Romans 15:7. The orphanage was approximately ten minutes away from the place we are staying. The place is huge and the team is helping to build a fence around the area. The first personal impression for the place was, "It's way too sunny out here." The open area on which the team needs to build the fence was full of bright sunshine that will make you drink a lot of water for the day, especially when you are doing construction. As a person who is not used to stand and be in the heat for long hours, I could tell you now that I feel like screaming, "It's too hot, I feel like I am in an oven"
While I was taking photos at the site, I felt that I was starting to feel bubbles in my stomach and started giggling to myself and talking to God, "Yes, I know you're laughing now because I am walking out here in this scorching heat. I am even wondering, why I am doing this". And I felt in my heart that God was telling me, "That's why you can feel the breeze, and you haven't fainted yet because I am walking with you and giving you My Strength. My heart stopped for a moment and realized the fact that I was really walking in the heat and not fainting yet. I used to faint when I was in high school because of my health, I have this very short tolerance for heat.
It was inspiring and encouraging to see the Construction team doing their work, especially that all of them are not used in doing construction. I could see that they still have their smiles and good attitude. They still were very sweet and loving to the orphans and even talked with them and played with them and hugged them. Doing a short-term mission work is really a serious tough job. You can never do something that is beyond your comfort zone if you don't have love in your heart, that unconditional heaven-sent love.
Pastor Doug led the devotion (our scripture verse was Romans 14:19) after lunch about building up and had encouraged us to find ways to build each other. I've got all my building up and encouragement from seeing how the construction team worked and shared love to the orphans and I also got encouragement from the orphans. One orphan girl climbed a mango tree and picked some green mangoes for me to eat, and it was sour but salt made the difference for me. I dipped the green mango in salt and I love green mangoes. It is like the lives of the orphans, very sour because of their poor circumstances but because of the salt, which is the love of God through His children helping these orphaned kids, and just like the green mangoes that do taste better for me because of the salt, the lives of these orphaned kids will get better because of love.
