Cries for a Mother

Last night I had the opportunity to babysit for a church's Good Friday Service. So, basically doing the nursery at church.

It was really fun:) Every time I do things like that, it reassures me that I want to work with kids sometime in the future. I love seeing how great they are... playing, discovering, learning. To me, it's so much fun to see how their brains work and develop. :)

But of course, along with the good and cute stuff, there are always kids who cry and whine and make trouble. I mean, sure, they're kids. But as much as it's annoying, I don't mind it. There seems to be something in my that feels bad for the kids who cry. Something in me that makes me feel patient with the kids who whine, and something that makes me calm with the kids who cause trouble. I don't know what it is, but I thank God for that...
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not some super human who never gets annoyed with kids, because I do. I've just realized I'm more patient with them.. and I think that became more apparent to me last night as I was working with two other teenage girls.

Anyways, that's not the point... haha. There will always be those kids who cry, right? Usually the reason because they want their mom, they miss them. Their cries are sad, not just because they were hurt... because they need their mother.

One little boy last night had this problem, he was sad the whole time. He wanted nothing but to be held and bobbed up and down. I ended up holding him the whole time, talking to him. There were a few times when I got smiles out of him, which made my day:)

But then I realized... there's this little boy who has a mom who loves him so much, and he loves her back. He has someone to take care of him. Someone to rush to him when he's hurt. Someone to feed him when he's hungry. Someone to give him attention. He has a mother. He has parents. He has a family.
This little boy is so blessed. SO blessed. Because across the world sitting in an orphanage are kids who do not know such love. And sadly, many will never experience it. Many will go through their lives not knowing what it feels like to have a mom and dad. They don't have a mom to kiss their scrapes. They don't have someone to take the time to know what's wrong emotionally. They don't have a home where they can bathe with warm water. They don't have a place where they can be read to and rocked to sleep every night before they fall asleep. They don't have a mom or dad to pray for them every night. These kids don't have any of that, none, and many never will. Many will never experience love and affection the way we are given here.

How sad is this? Can you imagine waking up every day and not having a mom to make your breakfast? Just waking up without parents. Think about it for a minute. Their cries aren't for a mom to come back to them, they cry because they want attention. They NEED attention. They have never known how it was like to have a mom (at least as long as they can remember). How sad is that? It breaks my heart for those kids just thinking about it. They just go throughout their lives as if it's normal, and it shouldn't have to be.

I've been reading a book called Silent Tears by Kay Bratt. She is a women who moved to China for her husband's job, and she volunteers in a local orphanage, and the book is basically her journal entries while she is living there. The stories in this book, are extremely sad. Horrific. I can't even explain to you...
I just wanted to share one excerpt from the book (pg. 106-107):
"While we were working, a new baby arrived who had just been discovered abandoned. She'd been found with a note in Chinese that gave her first name and her age; an ayi translated and told me the baby was four weeks old. She looked perfect! I'm certain her family abandoned her because she was a girl--under the one-child policy in China, most families want a boy to carry on the lineage.
...
I waited until a bottle with leftover milk finally became free, took the new baby onto my lap, and fed her. She ate ravenously, but after shed filled her little tummy, I still couldn't get her to calm down. Ann guessed she was probably still used to being saddled, so we bundled her in a towel, which instantly stopped her crying. I'm sure it was a traumatic day for her and she still yearns for her mother. She will have to get used to the life of an orphan, which means no more hugs, kisses, or cuddling except from the crazy expat women that come in a few times a week. I felt so sorry for her and hated to leave."

How sad is this? I sit here crying thinking about it.

And that is exactly why we do trips to visit these children of all ages. They need to know love. They need to know there is someone out there who care for them and pray for them. They need to know that there is a greater love, as well. We show the love of Christ to them. These kids need it... more than any of us could ever know.

The best part of working in the nursery with those kids who cry is this: when the parents pick them up, and you see the joy on the child's face that their mom has come for them finally. Its something that will never get old, to see the love that they both share for one another. Precious. I just wish that the kids in the orphanage could be able to share this experience.

Anyways, I didn't meant to put a damper on the day. It's just a thought that popped into my head last night. Yeah, that's how my brain works... I'm not sure if that's a gift or a curse haha (for those of you Monk fans out there) :). Oh well.

Until next time :)

"Religion that is pure and faultless before God our Father is this: to take care of orphans..." James 1:27a