Sunday, March 28, 2010

Lena...Our Worlds Reality

For the last three months I traveled to Turkey and Russia. I was part of a team with ten other students. Our hearts were to see each person we encountered changed because of Christ's love. My team and I were able to work with many different people doing many different things. God opened many doors for us to make an impact on each life. At the beginning of my three months I asked God to give me a heart for each person I encountered, to help me understand their choices, and situations. My heart was continually broken for the people I met. I can specifically remember the day when the reality of things really hit me.

Lena was only six. As she sat on my lap it began to sink in...the reality of her situation. As I helped her glue eyes to her puppet God wrecked my world. She was only six! Why was she here? Where is her Father and Mother? At two days old her mother tried to kill her, but Lena didn't die and was left at an orphanage. She has lived in three different orphanages already. Left to enjoy the world of broken toys and dirty spaces completely alone. Lena began her fight. She won't spend her days growing up at picnics or birthday parties rather she will be left all alone to fend for herself. She will have to fight everyday to survive her horrible circumstances.

When Lena turns eighteen she will be kicked out of the orphanage. The doors will be opened and shut just as quickly behind her. She will be sent out with a few bucks, expected to begin life. What life? She has never learned how to support herself, let alone in a healthy way. She will join the thousands of other street kids just like her around the corner. Living on pipes she will huddle in the shape of a ball through complete desperation to stay warm. She will burn parts of her body on the hot pipes in a sacrifice just to survive the night. She herself will realize that her dreams of being an artist or doctor are very unlikely, and she will be left with a deep hole filled with hopelessness. She will most likely start using drugs, or sell her body. After about three years if she hasn't died from being worked too hard as a sex slave, drug overdoses, or beaten to death by drug lords she will most likely consider suicide.

Why are there thousands and thousands of other children just like her, alone, abused, and desperate, yet with no one to help them?

It really started to sink in... how can I go home and live a "normal" life after this? How can I wake up each day and not wonder about Lena and the thousands of other children? Now I am not saying that going home is necessarily bad... rather I am saying how can I continue to live my life without sharing my blessings and giving my hand to the lost? Isn't that what God has asked me to do...love our neighbor?

I am posting a comment that was left on my blog after I posted about sex trafficking...

I know all of these children are outside of the US...outside of big cities with rich, white people, but this is honestly so close to what I see and hear daily, Mica. I absolutely love the kids I work with, but so many come in with horrible stories.
One 12 year old girl got convinced to break out of treatment with an older girl here. They lived under a bridge for over a week and the older girl sold the younger girl for drugs and money.
I have children of drug addicts that have been beaten and raped by their parents, their siblings, and their parent's drug dealers (or their own).
I have girls that are so enslaved by drugs. They go through withdrawals that almost kill them, so they sleep with people to get drugs and stay alive.
I had one girl whose mother used meth through her pregnancy, then shot up her children as infants because they would start to withdraw and cry.
I know you love where you are and helping children around the world, but I hope you know that the love of God is needed everywhere, every day.


It is completely 100% dead on....
the love of God is needed everywhere, every day!!


Why did it take a six year old girl in Russia to change my heart and open my eyes?

I would also like to post something from Grace(Grace was also in my DTS and she is in Cambodia right now) it really explains what I am learning and feeling.
I was brought to 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 the other day and am soaking in it as the perfect reminder to what it means to be a “servant”. I will not be a “missionary in Cambodia” forever. In fact, I hardly believe in the word “missionary”. I firmly believe as Christians we are on the mission field every day of our lives whether we are professing Gods love overseas, in your office, in your church, on the street, in the grocery store, at home or at a neighbor’s house—we are missionaries. I take absolutely no credit for a second of any of anything good that comes from it.

Some people plant, some people water, but only GOD gives the growth. We are his co-workers.


Everyone has the opportunity to be a part of changing lives it's not just "out there"

1 comment:

Darin Yusi said...

Your words are so compassionate, this is so cool. I hope that opportunities will come soon for you, you have such a great heart and I know that people are just waiting to have their lives touched by you.