Actual place: Torremolinos, Spain
Wow! It's been a month since the last time we wrote something! It's like... aaaah :) Man, there's so much to tell. Were do we start?
So, to be more organised we'll tell in this bit about our time in Venezuela (the next one will be about Morocco). Here it goes:
After our time in the jungle we spend three days on the beach to relax and chill before working at an orphanage in San Sebastian. This time was much needed and it worked out well knowing now how hard the time would be after it.
We had a couple of expectations about the orphanage we were going: we thought it was going to be full of little kids and that we had to do a lot of games with them etc. It turned out to be a lot more different than we expected it to be. The house 'casa hogar' had 22 kids, most of them teenagers. The orphanage was in a time of transition. It's a long story but basically the people who had been running the orphanage had to leave the place in April and now the responsibility was for YWAM. Our team came at the right time... we had to run it for a week (not kidding here). That meant disciplinning the kids and do financial stuff. This is how an average day looked like for Rebecca P. and I with the girls:
* 5.30 am wake some of the girls and give allowance for school, making sure there is breakfast;
* 6.00 encouraging some kids to go to school (some just didn't want to go and after lots of words and demanding some really didn't go)
* 7.00 am going to the hospital with two of them and sit in the waiting room for a couple of hours...
* 9.00 waking some kids who have school in the afternoon. Shutting television off, encouraging them to make homework;
* 10.00 buy food for lunch, a cook would prepare it;
* 12.00 lunch, kids coming back from school, some would do their duties;
* 14.00 finding food for dinner;
* 15.00 filling the little pool, having a waterfight or just sit in the pool;
* 16.00 going to the internet (or preparation for that); The girls would make themselves pretty;
* 17.30 finally going to the internet, stay there for two hours;
* 19.30 dinner;
* 20.30 devotional, praying and sharing God's love;
* 21.30 preparing for bed (or encouraging them to)
* 22.00 still encouraging
* 22.30 they would be in bed, some making homework
* 23.00 quiet
* 23.30 check
* 24.00 leave the worries behind, give them to God and fall asleep...
Well, this was pretty much it during the week. It was mentally very, very tough... the kids weren't allowed to go on their own on the streets (because of childprotection and the things that have happened in the past) and they couldn't really understand it all. They knew no rules and we tried to teach them some (about respect, etc) cause they just basically did what they wanted.
Well, this was my state of mind: every day was a struggle: struggle to wake them up, to get them to school, to find food, to stop the fights, to keep them safe, to get them to do some work, to get them to bed, to let them respect us... One BIG struggle! There was one point I just broke down while I was cleaning a toilet (leaving the disgusting details behind). Will (my leader) told me before that I (Becky by the way) was doing the Kings job... And I was reminded of that while cleaning... I just cried and cried and cried. How low can you go... well, THIS low. I felt anger towards the enemy (satan) and how he is trying to destroy these kids' life. I felt anger towards the world and people who abuse kids 'just like that'. Men, how I was angry! At that point I was glad that I really was doing the King's job, that there is a God who knows, that there is a God who sees these kids and wants to show them His love. Oh, through my anger God showed me I was His way of showing love to these kids... And above all, He showed me how much He loved me and confirmed that I was following His ways... this is all for Him!
So it was tough but we had great moments! Rebecca P. and I went to two mothersdays at the kids' schools and had fun! We played in the pool, had a waterballoonfight, Dan and I got married again one night when the girls wanted to see us kiss :) Teenage girls are the same everywhere. I felt close to these girls and it was hard to leave after a week. My first thought was: I want to stay here! These kids need help! But it is not the time yet... I can only be a voice to the world and tell about these kids who have a hard life! PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE KIDS and if you're interested in giving money to buy bibles for them or games (they have none of these things) get in contact with us and we can arrange things, seriously!
This week has been the TOUGHEST but at the same time the GREATEST week of our travelling around! Through hard times God shows us more of Him, we can only depend on Him. ('When I am weak, You are strong!)
That was Venezuela, up to Morocco!!!
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