People will look at my photos from Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine and say that it looks like I'm having a great time. Some of them will ask if I do any actual work or ministry there. They ask if all I do is hold babies and play with the kids. Sometimes I really don't know how to answer questions like these so that those (fortunately, few) people will get it. When someone really loves their job do we question if they actually do any work? I want to say that I really love my "job."
I have always felt the call to missions. I just didn't realize what it was until 2007 after my second short term missions trip. Many who have gone on short term mission trips have said that their lives have been changed forever, or that their lives have been turned upside down. In my case I prefer to say that my life was turned right side up. Those of you that know me will know that it's hard to convince me of, well, almost anything. So for me being in my 40's to be convinced to drop everything, sell my belongings and go to the other side of the world to live "life on the road" without a paycheque, it would have taken a lot of doing. I have often said that if God can convince me of that, there must be something to it. There were also a lot of confirmations that I couldn't ignore which is what finally convinced me to go. I also say that God knows what it will take to convince me to stop and so far I'm not convinced that it's time to finish life on the road even though things seem to be up in the air right now.
As for what I actually do, yes I do hold babies and play with kids and yes we do have a lot of fun. I see my "job" as being a good role model or an example to these kids and to show them that they are loved and not forgotten in the institution they live in. I try to create some happiness for those who have little to be happy about, to enrich their lives as best I can. The children also seem to respond so well to men and there are not many men doing this for various reasons.
Children who don't have parents to spend quality time with them are often developmentally delayed in some form or another. This affects learning, which affects future job prospects and so on. I recently read an article that talks about studies that have been done that show what "the lack of a parent, or someone who acted like a parent" has done to children in orphanages. Even though the article focuses on Romanian children this can easily be seen in Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, or any orphanage anywhere. You can listen to or read the full article at this link:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/02/20/280237833/orphans-lonely-beginnings-reveal-how-parents-shape-a-childs-brain Some orphanages are better than others but the staff of these institutions are very busy and simply can't (and sometimes won't) spend much quality time with the kids.
In a 2012 blog entry I told a story about baby Mikhail who was very unresponsive and then suddenly perked up when I held his hands. You can read it here:
http://blairs-page.blogspot.ca/2012/09/on-my-wayagain.html Believe me there is a LOT to be said about the power of touch and just being with the kids can make a big difference in their lives, whether they're too young to remember it years later or not. A friend of mine once commented on a photo of me holding a baby saying:
"what you are doing is VERY IMPORTANT for that child (his emphasis). My youngest son spent his first three years in a Ukrainian orphanage and when he became our son, he wanted to be held and held and held. Children need this and they don't get it when there are only two caregivers for 20 children."
Ed Dickson, who was the catalyst and an inspiration for me going on the road, has often said that the most important thing we can give to the children is time. I have heard this echoed by many others in missions.
I can't describe well enough how it is such a great privilege, how humbling it is and how amazing it is to spend time with the children who live in orphanages and invalid homes, or to spend time with the men who will live all of their lives in an institution for the disabled. (A person who is deemed disabled by the system, even for a hair lip, will be denied an education and will live their whole life in a disabled home.) By spending quality time with them I have seen the difference it makes in their lives first hand and I know that this is what I'm supposed to be doing.
Will you please help me to resume "life on the road" this summer to make a difference? I really need a lot of help to do this and I can't do it by myself. Whether it is a donation of some craft supplies to take with me or a monetary donation to cover the many expenses and projects, every dollar is a big help towards making a big difference in someone's life and it is appreciated very much not only by me but also by many other people. If you would like to help out just click the "ways to donate" tab at the top of the page. Thank you so much for your consideration and your support.
Thank you for seeing my heart. Please continue to keep me and Ukraine in your prayers. Till next time...я люблю вас!!
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| This is baby Mikhail who responded so well to a touch. |
