Today was Sunday. Sunday at SCH means all 82 of the children are at the home because none of our children are in school or at vocational training. I love Sundays at SCH. To me, it means that I get to spend more time with the school kids, who I see very little of during the week. Sometimes, I feel like I completely miss out on getting to know the school kids because they go to school all day, come home and go straight upstairs to do homework. Sundays mean we all get to spend the day, all together, as a family. Sunday is fun day. We just have fun! Last week, we played water games. Today, we colored with chalk and some of the children rode bikes and tricycles around the courtyard. Sundays also wipe me out. It’s quite a crazy, loud, and sometimes chaotic place at SCH on a Sunday. The children are so excited to be able to play with the toys and have the day off, so excited it makes for an overwhelming day for us volunteers. Their joy and excitement over bubbles being blown in the air is about as equivalent to surprising a child and taking them to Disneyworld . They love the simple things in life! It just doesn’t take much to make these kids happy. I love that.
Right now is a very urgent and critical time at Sarah’s Covenant Homes. For the past 2 months, Sarah has been working hard as an advocate for the 20 children with severe special needs currently waiting in the government orphanage. Sarah finally has the papers signed and the government is ready to hand over the children to SCH. However, SCH is struggling to pay the bills and is not at a place, financially, to care for the children and meet all of the demanding needs they will come with. All of the children are severely malnourished, anemic, neglected, and not properly cared for in the government orphanage. They sit on mats all day, with no stimulation, in their own waste, and are not receiving the love or care that any person needs to thrive and grow. They are emotionally and physically deprived. So when they first come to SCH, their needs are especially demanding as they come with many health problems, often so severe that they are near death. Sarah’s Covenant Home’s mission is to rescue abandoned children, give them a family and an environment of love to thrive and grow in. But nursing them back to health and ultimately saving their lives is equally the work Sarah does for these children. Sometimes I am amazed at the stories I hear of children at SCH when they first arrived. Just the other day I heard the story of our little Andrew, a joyful, talkative, active 3 year old boy here at SCH. A year ago, when he came to SCH, he did not walk or talk, cried for hours a day, and was so unhealthy and malnourished he was barely alive. And now he is a different little boy! So full of life, laughter, and personality! Or there’s my little guy Cedar who came to SCH so sick and bone- thin that people didn’t expect him to stay alive much longer; he was literally fighting for his life. And now he is a healthy little guy who has plenty of meat on his bones. These kinds of stories are the same story of so many of our kids here at SCH. Each and every one of them is a miracle. The fact that some of them can still smile and have joy after the kind of life they have lived is a miracle in itself. And it’s all because someone just gave them a chance. They are all living proof that the simple acts of love and nurture can turn a life around. That is why it is so important for people to donate to SCH right now, because SCH wants to be able to do the same thing for these 20 new children as they have done for the 82 they have now. The longer they stay in the orphanage, the harder the fight becomes for them to stay alive and have the chance to come live with us at SCH. By September 7, Sarah would like to take the first 10 home to SCH. These 10 are the most desperate for our care and are at a critical point in their health. Before SCH can take those kids in, they need to raise $20,000 to pay existing bills and prepare for their coming. Those 20 children need to come to SCH so they can have a quality life and they need you to help them get there. You are not only helping to rescue these kids from a life of abandonment and neglect but you are saving their lives too. You’re giving them a chance at life. Just watch what they will do when they are given that chance. It will amaze you. It amazes me everyday. Their society has labeled them worthless but we, here at SCH, declare them a treasure. Help us take these treasures home with us. Most importantly of all, please be in prayer for these kiddos. Pray that the Lord will release them into our care at the perfect time. Pray that God would give them strength in their bodies to stay alive. Pray for the provision of God for funds to come in.
Speaking of prayer, thank you for keeping Genevieve in your prayers. God is defiantly answering and her eye is recovering and healing so well this time! Just tonight, I saw that she was able to open her eye. There is no swelling, no infection, and her eye is responding well to the medicine. After 2 failed surgeries, we are all so happy to see that she is recovering well this time with no infection! Third time’s a charm right? Please keep her in your prayers as she still has more recovery to go through. The other day, Genevieve went back to school for the first time in months. Because of all her surgeries, she hasn’t been able to go to school. When I woke her up to get her ready for school, she shot out of bed and was so excited to get ready for her first day back. She was so happy to put her new school sandals on and wear her backpack. I felt like a total mom as I wanted to take a million pictures of her in her school outfit. She sang all the way to the bus stop. She really is such a happy kid and it rubs off on everyone she comes in contact with.
The other day, a friend was telling me about how she could never do what I am doing right now here in India
“And the Lord replied ‘my grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.’ Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now, I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size- abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over. And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.” 2 Corinthians 12:10-12 (the message)
Here is how you can donate to Sarah's Covanent Homes:
- http://www.share11.org/ A non-profit organization that raises money for SCH. They ask for 11 dollars and then for you to tell 11 others to donate 11 dollars too. It's as easy as that!
- Sarah's Covanent Home's Make a donation directly to SCH
Watch this video to see just how much we need your help!
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