BG Children

Just wanted to share what I saw through my window this morning........

I see the children parading down the sidewalk. They are heading to the house where they enjoy their structured play time called "playgroup". The preschoolers are already at their own school. The pre-walkers are being carried by volunteers. The marching ones are the children that can walk all the way up to age 3 1/2. They are looking much like little ducklings following their mother to the water.

There are many forms of transportation to playgroup.
There's the normal walk.
The waddle.
There's the gallop.
The drag your feet because you are looking around.
Or the drag your feet because your shoes make a cool sound.

There's the hop.

The scoot.
The skip.
The run.
The bouncy walk.
The inchworm.
The walk with your arms swinging high.
The casual walk with your hands in your pockets.
There is the wandering walk, on and off the path.

It is quite a sight to see and always makes me stop what I'm doing to witness this event and smile.

I see a particular boy (those of you who have been to BG might know which boy I'm referring to!) who cannot stay on the sidewalk and usually has to be corralled whenever it's time to move from one building to another. Transitions are a little tricky for this guy!

Today, instead of following the line up, he ran to the slide, ever watching over his shoulder to see if any adult had observed his wandering. When the Bo Mme shout his name, he keeps running to the slide, looking back with a smile. He hears her but goes up the ladder anyway. He quickly slides down and runs into the playgroup house as if he never had strayed. He's a lovable rascal! :)

Then I see a group of 4 children. They are hanging on to hands so sweetly as they walk to playgroup. But not in a row down the sidewalk. They are in a circle, trying to inch their way bumping into each other and not getting very far. Try to imaging a circle of kids moving all in one direction.

These scenes make me smile. (too bad I missed a photo of this!)

This is such a beautiful place, the children are so happy here. They are why we are here. And no doubt, the heart and joy of this place.

The longer I am here, the more I get to know these precious little ones. The more I know them, the more my heart yearns for things to be right for them. They are happy but.......They need moms and dads. They need brothers and sisters. They need cousins and neighbors. They need aunts and uncles. They need grandparents. They need...

We are grateful and privileged to be here for them... for such a time as this. We trust in our God who loves them more than we do. Please continue to pray with us that they will be placed in loving homes.

Thank you so very much on behalf of all 72 of them!!

Sincerely,
Karen

Time

I would like to share with you how I see God using Ron here at Beautiful Gate.

Ron has made wonderful connections with the staff and children. The way in which he forms those connections and maintains them, is primarily through time. Time spent with people is such a natural way to show care and the love of Christ.

Each morning when we arrive, he stops by the maintenance garage and greets the guys. They spend a few moments talking about how they are doing, about the rocket stove heater or their cars. He also enjoys teaching them a few things every now and then. It's great to see his genuine interest in them.

Then there is an opportunity to participate in a time of devotions with the office staff. Morning devotions has been something the staff has done for years and now Ron and I get to be a part of it. This is always a beautiful time of sharing and growing together. And again, another way to connect and show care for these new friends.

After devotions Ron does his 'morning rounds' as we call it. He starts at one end of the row of baby houses and moves down to the other end. He stops in and visits the housemother's and the children. He greets them and chats for a moment. This is a great opportunity to grow the relationships and to show more care. This is also a time when the housemother's might share a prayer request or an update from past requests. He also enjoys seeing the babies whom he affectionately calls, "his babies".

Ron then settles into his office and begins studying in preparation for Wednesday chapel time and Sunday service.

Ron has been doing an amazing job sharing the truth of God's word during those services. (Even with the challenge of having an interpreter!) The comments we get are positive and the staff have said they are learning so much. They have shared how much they need to be fed, nourished and given the truth. Praise God that their prayers to get a pastor were answered!

Throughout the day the staff will often visit his office for prayer and council. This gives him an opportunity to share the word of God and the council of God. What a privilege and blessing that is!

There is always an opportunity to play with the kids outside everyday and Ron often goes out to play and connect. The children love having men around since it's mostly women on staff.

There is an older boy who Ron connected with last year during our visit. We played a game called "Myself, myself". You stand in front of the group and tell a little of yourself. You also share what you want to be when you grow up. Last year this boy said when he grows up, he wants to be like Ntate Ron. This year, he is saying he wants to be a pastor. He lays out his clothes the night before and wants to wear his 'pastor pants'. He leads his siblings in little church services and comes to Sunday services with the housemothers. Note, the service is during nap time and he is the only child who comes on Sunday's. He behaves very maturely. He wears 'the pants' and a nice V neck sweater and tie, or a suit coat. (not sure where he got that!) This little boy seems to look up to Ron. I see this as God at work! You never know how God will use you and the influence you have on a child.

The staff depend on God so much and give Him praise for everything they have. For example, when they get a car, they want to make a point to thank God for it and ask for His blessing on it. So they ask Ron to give a blessing over their car or whatever they have received from the Lord. Even if someone gets a new pair of glasses they ask Ron to say a prayer of thanks and blessing over them. This is humbling for us Americans who live in abundance. But what a beautiful example for the rest of us, to stop and thank God and ask for His blessing and protection over the material blessing we were just given.

It is evident in so many ways that God had this position for Ron. It seems to fit his personality and giftings so well.

The Basotho people have a high regard for the position of pastor. This has been a blessing for Ron from the start. The people respect him because he is a pastor. And now they trust him enough to share deep hurts and joys. They trust him because he has invested in them. He continues to show care and Christ's love through these connections, through time. 

Thanks for reading,
Karen