Story Time

There has been a change in the team as a whole the last few days, I believe it's truly been a deep, change in our hearts. A few days ago, a couple team members starting asking if anyone knew the stories of the kids here at Little Flock. Monica and I know a few of the stories but by no means the details. We have been so fortunate to have one of the American board members of Little Flock, Carolyn Pura, staying here at Little Flock with us during our stay - she's been such a huge help. We asked her if she knew the stories of the kids and she actually has a book with brief bios of all of the 45 kids here at Little Flock, and as a part of our team devotion time in the mornings and after our "program" with the kids at night she has been sharing a few of those stories. Let me give you the readers digest version of a few:

Pavithra - pronounced pa-vee-tra (6 years old): Was abandoned by her birth mother in the hospital - essentially born an orphan. She was adopted by a Muslim family who absolutely loved and adored her. A couple years ago the mother died of a heart attack. Her adopted father works in the construction industry and neither makes enough money to support her or is able to care for her during the day. When he came to drop Pavithra off at Little Flock he was asked, "Are you going to visit, or are you just dropping her off?" He teared up and responded, "Pavithra is the light of my life. Yes, I will be back to visit." This is the case of many of the kids here at Little Flock - their parents/relatives love and care about them deeply, but just aren't able to provide or take care of them.

Mani - pronounced money (11 Years old): lived on the street before coming to Little Flock a couple years ago. He survived by picking pockets. He would carry a blade in his mouth, slit the pocket of someone walking and take whatever was inside for himself (he was doing this as a 7-9 year old boy). Mani is one of the most loving boys here at Little Flock, anytime I am (or any of the team members) are walking near him, he will grab my hand and hold it until we get to where we're going. The transformation, the healing that God has done in his life is incredible.
Those are 2 stories of 45, you can imagine the incredibly painful pasts that some of these kids have. Have you seen Slumdog Millionaire? (if you haven't I recommend it - it's incredibly accurate) For some of these kids, that is their past, that is their story.
These are the stories that changed our team. The realization that we aren't here for us, we aren't here just to put a fresh coat of paint on cottages (though it is helpful and is a blessing to this place), we are here for these kids, for these stories. And no longer are these kids "just faces", as one of our team members put it, but they are a story, a story of God's redemption. Hearing these stories has given perspective to our team. It has changed the way we interact with the kids of Little Flock (in a very positive loving way). And suddenly, Friday, that previously couldn't come soon enough, is coming too soon. Obstacles have been broken down, discomfort is much less of an "issue", every minute counts and the love for these children has only increased.
When we get back, whoever it is you know on this team, ask them about Little Flock kids' stories - I promise you this, these are not stories that will soon be forgotten.

- danny