Why Don´t You Come In?

Seven sweet faces staring at me from behind bars. Seven pairs of eyes full of questions, their ponytails lopsided, hands damp from washing and hanging clothes.

Why don´t you come in? They ask. 

I can´t. I respond. 

My hands reach through the bars that separate us to touch their hands, to let them know that not only do I care about them, but that I love them with a love they may never understand.

http://tinyurl.com/3mgvbjn

Many of you know that I lived in an orphanage with 800 kids last year teaching English and the Bible to the kids who lived there. I taught these kids, ate with them, played with them, shared a year of my life with them. 

About four months ago, I was told that all strings between the orphanage and myself and Lauren had to be cut. I was told that there were suspicions that I was helping construct another orphanage, and the director thought I was only there to try to take kids out of his orphanage and bring him to my orphanage. I tried to explain the truth, that we are not trying to establish an orphanage nor are we helping anyone start one. We are here to study the Bible. He didn´t believe me. So I never told the kids or the people that were a part of my life for a year good bye...I just left. There was no time for any of that. 

To this day, the kids do not understand what happened. They do not understand that the situation is much deeper than we can see- that there was a spiritual battle being fought.  When we see some of them outside the orphanage from time to time, we are able to explain what happened. 

Today was kinda one of those days. 

We went to go visit a family that lives right next to the orphanage, and as we were walking by, some of the girls saw Lauren and I walking by and began calling our names. 

We stopped and talked to them, telling them how much we loved and missed them and reminding them not to forget what Jesus did for them on the cross and that He wants a person relationship with each of them. 

That was just a few minutes ago that all of this happened. I am asking God to show me what to do. If I should go back and talk to Miguel and see if I can reconcile things...somehow explain things all over again and pray that he will listen.

There are over 100 children in that orphanage who gave their lives to Christ last year, and before any of this happened today, the Lord laid on my heart to go back and ask permission to baptize them...not because I believe in any way that baptism saves, but because as I study the Bible I see that baptism almost accompanied salvation...the outward sign to the inward change. 

I would appreciate your prayers during this time. For wisdom and grace, maturity and boldness. I know that God has called me for such a time as this. (Esther 4:14). 

I am not only thankful for the time I spent in this orphanage, but I am thankful that I was forced out. Because in that, the gospel has been spread to the surrounding cities and districts. The time I would have spent in the orphanage, I now spend outside the orphanage, and many families have heard about how to have a relationship with Christ. 

But now more than ever, we need direction and a clear short term vision. Please join us in prayer for this.