Rolling In Fun

Our second visit to the boys at Jotham's Center was a blast! I took matchbox cars that I had brought for them from the States. But first Debby wanted to give them a lesson on road safety, using a little road scene she had drawn. They knew beforehand we were coming, so when we arrived they were ready with a couple songs they wanted to do for us. It was so cool; I wish you could have heard them! They have good rhythm and great voices! They even danced on one of the songs; I would post video but we haven't figured out how or if we can do that yet with the slow connection. So you'll have to be content with snapshots for now.

We went on to the lesson, and the boys were very attentive. They just couldn't seem to quite get the point Debby was trying to make, though. She wanted them to understand what is the safest way to walk on the roads. Of course they are far out of the city right now so they had to imagine being there with the busy roads. Debby used a few of the little cars for the visual. But the boys kept wanting to move the cars at first when she asked them to demonstrate how they would go. They didn't understand she wanted them to show how they would walk in relation to the cars.

We still aren't sure if they really got it, but she sure tried hard! Then we got them in on the action. Debby gave them crayons and two more sheets of paper to draw more roads and anything else they could think of to fill the picture with scenery. At first no one really wanted to volunteer, but after a few of them agreed to try their hand, it wasn't long until most of the group was into it with gusto!

Here is the finished product! Also a closeup of my favorite page. They have some real talent.!



In the meantime I was having fun taking pictures and showing some of the boys their images on my camera. They thought it was the funniest thing and and abslutely loved it! At one point I was sitting down with a whole crowd completely encircling me and pressing in to see videos of themselves singing!

Finally we got to the goodies... I handed out the matchbox cars. We also had a couple useful things for them: a bag in which to keep their belongings and a jar of vaseline lotion, which they use on their skin and hair for dryness. Oh, and we mustn't forget the cookies! You would have thought it was Christmas!

I wonder if my brothers ever got as much joy out of their large collection of cars as these kids did over one single car. They just don't have such things, so the smallest gift is pure delight for them. And what a joy for us to be the givers. Yet what they truly need is not anything we can give them. They need the solid hope and faith that comes from God. If they get ahold of Him, it doesn't matter whether they are ever able to make a good life for themselves in this world or not. That is important, yes, but not eternally significant. The dilemma that Chuck and Debby are facing and that all of us, if we truly care about the needs of the world, will face, is how to know people's greatest needs, how to go about meeting them rather than simply giving handouts, how far to go in giving help, and how to balance that with effectively pointing them to the One who is everything they need. Perhaps we will never feel capable of this or know if we have been successful. But God knows. He doesn't need us to accomplish His will on earth, but He chooses to use us. Remember the pot? It is not our job to worry about success or results or to obsess over whether or not we're doing things right. Our responsibility is to stay in tune with our Maker and submit to His use. He knows our hearts. If we truly love Him and desire to be used for His purpose in the world, He will have His way with us, whether we are aware of it or not. I know that's easier said than believed: trust me, I'm preaching to myself here. But I believe it is the truth and the more we focus on the truth vs. what we're seeing and feeling the stronger our faith will grow. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen." Heb. 11:1 We are used to substances that we can see, touch, and hold in our hands. Faith is the substance of things we cannot yet see or hold. But they are nonetheless very real promises that we will one day receive in full. If we could see and touch them now, there would be no faith in it! The faith is in our hoping for something that is promised but not yet delivered. If you've ordered an item from an online store, do you sit around moping because you don't have it in your possession and therefore you are certain it can never be yours? Of course not! You know that you paid for that item and it has been marked to be shipped to you and it will arrive at your door in a matter of days or weeks. In good faith you believe that the item is yours, even though you cannot yet see it and hold it in your hands. I know that sounds simple; I think that's because it really is! It is only that deception has so clouded our minds and hearts that our natural reaction to God's promises is doubt rather than faith. That is a battle we will fight as long as we walk this earth. But praise Jesus, the battle's already won and our enemy's days are numbered! That is why God stressed the importance of keeping our eyes on Jesus, for He is the Author and Finisher of our faith! In Him, it is finished! There is no doubt, there is no question. I pray that all of us be given the grace to look to Him today.