Sunday, July 7, 2013

Orphan Hosting~Week 2 in Full Swing; Waste vs. Value

I can't believe the kids have been here for over a week. We have experienced so much together already. The language barrier has been the biggest obstacle to overcome, but we are managing. We found iTranslate with voice recognition last night, #lifesaver! Lena and I could finally have a decent conversation. I asked her who her best friends at the orphanage are and what they like to do. She said they like to dance and fix each others hair. I love her innocence. She said she would like to take presents back to them of perfumes, bath and hair products. Looks like a trip to Bath and Body Works is in our future. Denis says he has a girl friend and a favorite teacher that has helped him out a lot in school that he would also like to take back some perfume for. 

The highlights of last week, were fireworks of course and their first trip to the firehouse to see "papa". They were so excited I'm not sure they slept the night before. The ooo'ed and aaaaah'ed the rest of the way, as soon as the Indy downtown skyline came into view. They really enjoyed the canal and papa fixed them up with a ride on the paddle boats. They climbed on the fire trucks like all our little ones have done their whole lives. It is so enlightening and refreshing to see things that have become "old hat" through new eyes again. I have really been trying to look at people and things through the eyes of an orphan since I have met them. It is eye opening! Sometimes it make me ever so grateful and other times it just really makes my blood boil!  

Why would it make my blood boil, you ask? (If you didn't ask, or don't want to know then just go ahead and stop reading right now, I'm sure there is some "reality" TV show calling your name or you can go press your tie for "church") My blood boils at the waste, mostly. Wasted time, wasted energy, wasted money, wasted resources and wasted minds. On the way to get these kids more NECESSITIES (like shoes) today I passed at least 4 "churches". Big buildings actually. I thought of the MILLIONS spent on brick and mortar, signage, power bills, phone bills, employees salaries, blah, blah, blah........ Do these organizations do SOME good? Of course they do. TV preachers do SOME good. False profits/cult leaders do SOME good. The government does SOME good. Do they do what they claim they are called to do by The One they claim to follow? Well, as much as any teen girl NEEDS a $500 prom dress! Waste. It's more about justification that anything. "Religion" isn't about God's work. It's about appeasing God. It about "I need to make sure I am right" (i.e. pride). I believe true reliogion is described in the letter of James chapter 1 verse 27.

Everyone is so concerned about what everyone thinks, says, does, wears etc... that nothing gets DONE! Who cares!? Let's take care of each other! We need to value. Value needs to replace waste. Waste and value can not coexist. 

"Whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me"~Jesus



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