Not Just a Job

This evening I had to run back to the shelter for a couple of things before heading home and I had the chance to sit down with one of our housefathers for a while. He seemed a bit down and shared some frustrating things that had been happening with the kids in his home. It was nothing too out of the ordinary for kids, but it was wearing on him nonetheless. He shared how he had spent time with the children in prayer that evening and how each of the children really like him to pray individually for each of them every evening. And despite being a bit burdened, he was encouraged by the prayers of one of the girls in the home - prayers that were mature beyond her age. She had prayed that God would really help her and the other kids apply the things in their lives that they had learned in their Bible lessons. It was so encouraging to me to know how seriously this housefather was taking the spiritual health of the children in his care.

Then he went on to share even more about how he prays for the children he and his wife have been entrusted with, even to the point of praying for the children that have YET to come to their home - children that SOMEDAY God will bring to CSC for them to minister to. SOMEWHERE there are children in Cebu - in an abusive home, in a crowded maternity ward, on a dirty sidewalk beside a busy street - whose lives are already being affected by the prayers of one of our houseparents. I sat down to encourage, and left incredibly encouraged myself. It had been an incredibly long day by that time, but a day never gets too long for that. I left thinking how fortunate the children would be that would come into these houseparents' care.