Kneeling in the Mud

Today was a muddy day.
It was dirty.
It wasn't as I planned it to be.

I woke up early to make sure I had everything in line for the team that is here. I enjoy the few moments I have with Jesus in the quietness of the campus. The morning was very cold, so I went to get the keys to start the cars so that the windshields could defrost and we could go to church. As Anita and I were walking across campus, two Bo Mme came running with a child in their arms that was very limp. The child had vomited and aspirated. My mine flashed to 2 years ago when the same situation happened and the at child didn't make it. Anita and I ran to the Bo Mme and grabbed the child, we quickly got in a car and drove off to the hospital the house mother jumped in the car with us and off we went. By the time we got to the hospital the child was alert, but breathing very fast. As the doctor was assessing the child her heart rate was all over the place, then the is baby's house mother sat down next to her and spoke. The child's ears heard the voice of her "mother" and her heart rate settled. In this situation, the house mother is the hero. Her first aid training came in and she saved this child's life. It didn't matter what needed to happen she did it, including sucking out the babies nose with her mouth so that the child could breath again. This house mother is my hero, her child was sick and she acted. She thought of herself last which included going to the hospital in her only overcoat and shirt. Yes friends she didn't have any pants. When her child was scared, she spoke and calmed her fears. The child is doing well and is back at Beautiful Gate tonight, because the Bo Mme acted so fast. We praise the Lord for His faithfulness.

While I was running to the Bo Mme, I stepped in a mud puddle. Because of this my shoe was full of mud and my pant leg. Sometimes you just need to get dirty so that God's plan can work. I didn't have time to change my pants, because I had a full afternoon planned with the team. Normally I don't like to walk around with mud on me, but today, it didn't matter because the situation could have been a lot worse.

This afternoon with the team, we walked through the neighborhood around Beautiful Gate. It is always an eye opener to see the differences in life from one side of the street to the next. Along the walk, a group of community children gathered and started walking with us. They loved the time spent just being with us and laughing with us. Along the walk we stopped at different points and the children stopped too, taking in any moment they could. We stopped at a BG staff member's house on the way, so she could say hi to the team. Just as we were leaving her house she told me about one of the boys that was walking with us. He is about 7 years old and his father past way that morning. His mother passed away a few years ago. This little boy was all alone and all he wanted to do was be with us. I bent down to his level to talk to him, as I did this he made eye contact and I saw confusion and hurt in his eyes. I put my knee down to the ground so that I could really speak to him. Just as my knee hit the ground, I realized it was resting in a mud puddle, it didn't matter, because this boy needed to know he was loved by someone. Tonight he is sleeping in the house of another community member. I love how this culture takes care of children when they become orphaned. I am not sure what the next step is, but I am going to continue to pray that he knows he is loved.

Kneeling in the mud made me think about life. I will be honest, right now I feel weak, because of the attacks happening, but I know I need to keep going. I can't stop the mission God has me on. His plan is great. Sometime in life you run through mud puddles and you get a little dirty, but you can keep going. Other times in life you kneel in mud puddles, because life is too hard to keep going so you stop and pause and pray. The mud is tough, but the mud is not where we remain. There will be a day when all the mud in life will be gone and we will better because we took time to kneel in the mud, pause and pray.

I may not like to walk around with mud and show the world I am hurting, but right now that doesn't matter. My knees are stained and I am okay with it, because it is in the mud that I discover my Abba Daddy and I realize how much He loves me and that His still small voice can calm my fast beating heart.