Pass Me Not

¨My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant¨

I have finally moved my things to the orphanage -everything. It all measures out to be exactly two crates worth of belongings. Enough. My reunion with the children was sweet, full of flying arms and legs, screams, and random Spanish I am yet capable of translating.

And now as I am writing, I´ve called this place my home for about a week. It feels like home. I am able to tease the little girls by running towards them with my lips smacked together -charging for a kiss; by extending my arm begging for a dance partner. I´ve been sick and have warmly been taken care of. I´ve swept dust covered floors and I´ve been teased for doing curious things with my tongue.

Showering is always an experience; sometimes the water wont turn on from the beginning. But, the worst occurs usually when water is functional from the get-go. The water will run long enough to give one ample time to lather in soap and then suddenly stop. I am currently at the stage of understanding where, all the sudden, this water evades to. I have begun to compile a list of suspects. The first is that naturally things in Paraguay do not function as designed -leading one safe to the conclusion that water pressure comes and goes. The other option is that the kids, one in particular, find it funny when I scream at the shower, in English nonetheless, to work. I am instinctively drawn to this conclusion because this one particular boy takes no caution in hiding his identity of being the one known to haphazardly throw cups of frigid water into my already cold shower.

A very special tradition has developed since my stay in the orphanage. Most nights, right after the younger children´s dinner, I join the 6 through 12 year-old boys for their bedtime prayers. It is beautiful. This room is crammed with twenty or so, bright-eyed, joyous boys. When I enter, usually an argument is being settled by Lali, a wonderful, middle-aged woman who lives at the orphanage with her four children, over whom will get the privilege of praying for the night. More often than not Lali eventually gives in and allows all of them to pray. And do they pray. They pray for their family and friends. They pray for my family and friends. They pray for Paraguay. They pray for the United States. They thank God for the beautiful day and they ask Him to join their tomorrow.

After their prayers, I have had the blessing of singing to them. I sing Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior. I sing with confidence knowing that God has not passed these children -He dwells in them and with them, I experience His presence every night.

May God bless and keep you.

Your Son and Friend,
JON