Beautiful

We arrived at the Handicap Center in Vietnam, with Jill and Tabitha, and I wasn’t sure what to expect…  We followed the girls to one of the rooms, and before I had a chance to say or do anything, a little boy quickly came over to me since I was in front, grabbed my arm, and led me across the room to a lady standing next to a cart.

Before I could even say hello, she handed me bowl of what looked like oatmeal, then said, “Number Three.  One, two, three,”  pointing to the cribs as she counted.   I walked to “number three” with the bowl in my hand, and without even looking back to see if the other girls had followed me into the room, I began feeding the little boy.  As he lay there in his crib, so many things ran through my mind…   The crib looked like it was fit for a child no older than 3 or 4…  but I was certain this boy was much older.   His arms and legs were folded in ways that made me feel uncomfortable for him… and I wondered how long he’d lived in this room, in this crib…

He ate the entire bowl of food.  I told him “good job!” for eating so well, and wiped his face with the towel the woman had given me.  Then I touched his sweet face and hands and wondered again what this boy’s story was…

I was told I could only take a few photos in that room, so I did just that, then went to meet the other girls who were waiting for me outside the room.

We later found out that most of the kids in that room were about 18 years old.  And live their lives, day in and day out, in their small cribs…

While outside, we met some of the kids with less severe disabilities.  I recognized the boy walking towards us – he was the one who had pulled my arm to help feed the kids.  I asked the girls what his name was – “Gung,” they told me.

Gung motioned for me to give him something to write with, so I asked Liz for a pen and paper.  He took the little note pad and pen and proceeded to draw me a little picture.  I thanked him for his sweet gift, and told him I wanted to take his picture.  He smiled, lifted his hand and held up two fingers…and I smiled back, remembering my friend Yenipher back home who had taught me the “Asian pose.”

A girl nearby saw that Gung was drawing, so she came over and took the pen and pad from my hands.  She sat down on the bench and motioned for me sit next to her.  I watched as she carefully wrote her name on the paper – “Phoung Onh.”

While I sat with Phoung on the bench, watching her snack on her Mentos candies, Jill and Tabitha were having a fun little conversation with a few boys sitting on another bench.  Although the boys all looked no older than 10, Jill told us one was 15 and the other two were 13.  The 15-year-old, Mun I believe was his name, had a bag in his hand.  The girls said he keeps little “gifts” inside it, and then gives them to people he meets.  He had given the two girls little finger puppets.

We spent a little more time there before heading back towards our hotel.  As I rode on the back of Jill’s motor bike, I tried to take in what I had just seen…  Then Jill asked, “What did you think?”

Whoa…gotta process all that already?  I told her it was hard to picture many of those kids living their entire lives in a room full of cribs.  And it makes me appreciate the life I have, and all that I’m able to do and see.  And I wished those kids could have that…   And I was sad to think that the parents of these precious children had left them…  I  could only speculate their reasons why… and trust that the Lord knows what’s best for His children..  I’m thankful we got to smile and play with some of the kids outside.  Those sweet children are just as capable of love as you and I…

Later that afternoon we met another friend who took us to another children’s center.   We only spent about 45 minutes there, and saw quite a bit in that short amount of time…

Several thoughts and feelings ran through me…  A part of me just wanted to spend hours with these kids, playing with them and holding them.  After seeing the ratio of workers to children, I wondered how often they are paid attention to… how often they are carried when they cry, how often they are touched or tickled… And I wished that I didn’t have a camera with me, so I could just devote my energy to loving these kids for the short time I was there…

I cannot tell you how precious these little children were!  It was so sweet to see their little smiles, and hear the little newborns “coo”…  And the older ones we first saw were very outgoing!  They loved having their pictures taken, and opened up to Liz and I really quickly.

But since I was told upon arrival that I was allowed to photograph the kids, I sort of made that my top priority.  It was hard to not spend more time playing with them…  But I reminded myself that the Lord led me on this trip so that He could open my eyes.  And in turn, I knew that I had to do what I could to share this experience with all of you.

I am so thankful for the little time we DID spend there, and for God opening up our eyes to something we’ve never experienced before…  I know the Lord loves these beautiful children much more than anyone ever could…

Liz and I attended a Vietnamese church service this morning, and this verse stuck out to me during the “call and response” time…

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”  1 Cornthians 15:58

The Lord is indeed at work….  from the tukuls of South Sudan to the slums of India.  From the growing townships of Cape Town to the orphanages of Ho Chi Minh City.  And I know He is at work back home, too.

I pray that as I return to Austin next week, I will continue devoting my life FULLY to the work of the Lord…