Every day at our orphanage is different.

Our team has found over the last month-and-a-half that while we dedicate one entire day of our week to planning for our ministry, more often than not we end up throwing our plans out as soon as we pass through the gates.

On Thursday this week we arrived at our normal time—around 10:00—and found the children hard at work pulling weeds and planting flowers. We climbed out of the TATA (our mode of transportation for the summer) and headed over to offer our help.

“Auntie come…Auntie come pull!” Sujata sounded as she ran up and grabbed my hand.

Our morning quite simply consisted of yard work—there were no theological programs, crafts, or songs…  just working side-by-side children pulling weeds. This was interrupted a few times first by the random discovery of a spider’s nest and a few more times by breaks of silliness.

After we were finished for the day with landscaping it was bath time for the children. This consisted of all the girls lining up and being doused with water. Then Omar ( the girls’ supervisor/nanny lady) went down the line and quickly and vigorously scrubbed them with soap. After the scrubbing they were doused with another round of water.

When the work was finished and all the girls were clean we congregated in the large church room for some quality rest time. Little did we know that the remainder of our day would turn into one giant nap. For the rest of the afternoon, the majority of this children’s home were all sprawled out on the church’s stone floor under the ceiling fans feeling accomplished and refreshed after a good morning’s work.

While laying there with little Bajeeya in my arms, I remember thinking back to my own childhood. I would frequently lie in my mother’s arms to sleep –this single memory holds feelings of love, safety, and affection.

 …Just this simple act of being held.

 It made me realize that these children (aside from the passing philanthropic group) do not have this. They have no one to hold them when they sleep – no one to show them individual love or affection.

The thing about this place, though, is that the children are more sound in their faith than I can ever remember myself being. It is not to say that they do not miss their families…but in their circumstances they cling all the more to their heavenly Father. Although it would seem they do not receive a great deal of tangible love at Emmanuel, they continue to shower us with love on a daily basis. It is an incredible thing.