The Miracle of Love

It has been a crazy past few days! And like usual, I have been stretched as I have been placed in situations that I was not prepared for. But, here in India, you learn to just go with whatever is thrown at you. Living in India, everyday brings new experiences and surprises. But living in India and working at Sarah's Covanent Homes...well, that means double the surprises.

Our most recent child we have received here at SCH is an autistic boy named Benjamin. Benjamin is 13 years old and he was brought to SCH in December of 2010 after being found roaming the streets alone. We don't know what Benjamin's life was like up until he came to stay with us. Benjamin is severly autistic and the way he is stimulated is through biting people. And when I say biting, I mean a kind of biting that takes peoples skin off. Lately, Benjamin has been biting too much and causing a lot of chaos at the home. So, when many of our Iaya's (the women who live in the home full time and take care of the children) were away visiting their families for a few days, there was no one to watch Benjamin one-on-one to make sure he did not get up and bite people in the night. So, we took Ben home with us! He came to stay with us in our apartment for the night. It took us quite a long time to get him to fall asleep as he screamed, kicked, and of course bit. We ended up having to safely restrain him in order to keep him from hurting himself and us. Morning came, and we took Ben back to the home. But, once again, Ben was up to no good at the home and continuing to bite people. This time, it was much more severe and he was clearly out of control. By the end of the day, we had Ben being restrained in our offices, calling doctors to see what kind of medicine we can give him to help him calm down. 2 hours later, we decided that it was best for Benjamin to go to a psychiatric hospital. As we were leaving the home with Benjamin, we remembered that one of our other little boys was very sick with a fever, had not been eating for 3 days, and was very dehydrated. Cassie and I ended up taking Jeff to the hospital while the other's took Benjamin to the psychiatric hospital. We ended up driving to multiple places, getting blood work done, and seeing doctors for Jeff. As I sat in the rickshaw at 8:30 at night, holding a paralized and very sick boy in my arms, I had one of those moments where you stop yourself and realize the kind of situation you're in. I never thought that I was going to be given so much responsibility in caring for these kids, but what an honor it is to be their advocate and shuffle them around until they receive the medical attention they deserve. What a responsibility I feel the Lord has placed in my lap, but how honored I feel that He has entrusted these precious lives into my hands. How I take this responsibility seriously and with great pride.

Currently, Benjamin is still in the psych hospital being observed and tested for new medication by the doctors. He should be back with us at SCH in a few days. As for Jeff, he was able to get some medicine from the doctors and his fever has gone down. After taking him to our apartment after seeing the doctor, he is starting to eat again and is hydrated. In one day, we have seen Jeff go from barely moving and completley limp to kicking around a ball with his feet and laughing. It's amazing how a little special attention and love can go with these kids. I honestly believe that the encouragment and love we lather on these kids gives physical strength and a strong will to keep fighting against their ill bodies. What power there is simply loading up your love on a needy child. What a miracle it is to watch the transformation when they are able to receive it. I may not see physical miracles here everyday but I get to watch the miracle of love take place on a daily basis. As I watch their spirit's come to life with a simple smile or a hug, I can feel my spirit come alive too. I am reminded of how divine and beautiful the Lord has made the connection between human spirits.

This morning, as I woke up exhausted from a crazy night going from different hospitals, I felt pretty drained. In all honesty, sometimes I just miss home and yearn for the comforts of being surrounded with friends and family.This morning was one of those mornings. I listened to a podcast from my church, and with my random selection of messages, I soon realized that this was the just the message I needed to hear. It was talking about how God gives us an ability and with that comes responsibility and with that comes grace. God is not going to give me an ability and responsibility without giving me his grace to do it. I have been graced by God to do this and his grace is sufficient for me to make it through the tough times. I was so encouraged to be reminded that indeed, this is where God has called me and this is what he has graced me to do. How thankful I was for his never ending supply of grace this morning. "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus"(2 Timothy 2:1) Praise God that he has given us all so many different and unique abilities and more than enough grace to fully use it for his glory. I walked into the home today fully energized and ready to get my arms around those kids. And I knew that it was by his grace that I was able to do so.