Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Lord Empty Me Of Me So I Can Be Filled With You

The days seem to be going by quicker each week!  I still LOVE working with the babies! They have all grown so much in the past  seven weeks!! One of the little girls took her first steps yesterday! I was so proud! Others are talking more and more each day! The teens, some days, can be challenging but are also so fun to work with! I see changes in them as well. One of the girls who started off having an attitude with me, beat me to the kitchen this afternoon so that she could fill up all the water glasses before I got there.  It is always great to see these changes within the teens! I have started a new job at the Orphanage I have begun distributing medication to the girls twice a day. It has been great to go to the other houses and get to meet the younger girls who live there.
One wall in the volunteer house is now claimed as “The Encouraging Wall of Hondo” J One night during devotional the volunteers were talking about being encouragers, and the idea came up to make envelopes with our names on them to put on a wall so we can send each other little encouraging notes throughout the day. It really is crazy how a simple note of appreciation can make daily chores so much easier to complete!  It really has been a blessing to get to meet these awesome people that I am volunteering with!
Last Sunday a man from the team shared a story of an event that had happened on a previous visit to Orphanage Emmanuel. He said that one day he was working in the Warehouse, and a poor Honduran man drove up in an old beaten down truck. As the man got out of the car Poppie explained that they were going to fill up this man’s truck with as much rice and beans as would fit. The man telling the story explained that while he was loading the truck he began to become annoyed that they were giving so much food away, because he sends items to the Orphanage and helps pack the containers that his church sends.  He said that once the truck was as full as it could possibly get, the Honduran man thanked Poppie and went on his way. Poppie then turned to the man helping give out the food and asked him if he wanted to know the secret to always having a full Warehouse at Orphanage Emmanuel. The man stated that he did, and Poppie told him the secret to having a full Warehouse was to always give everything away.
As I thought about this story later during the week I realized in a way Poppie could have also been asking the question “Do you want to know the secret to having a full life?” I feel like the answer to this question would be along the same lines as the "Warehouse Theory". Give. Give all you have: your time, energy, money, words of encouragement,  and anything else you are able to and let  God be faithful to fill you up! 1 Peter 4:10 states “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever.”  

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