Needs Everywhere

Today we stopped by some other missionaries house. They are an American/Brazilian couple that we are enjoying getting to know. We stopped by to give them some green pepper seedlings and a few extra blankets that we had. They do a similar type of work. Thier ministry is actually an orphanage specifically for street kids and is just getting off the ground so we knew they could use whatever blankets we had after distributing to our orphans. When we arrived they explained to us that they needed our prayers because they had a busy afternoon ahead of them. Two little boys, street children had knocked on their gate earlier in the day and asked them for money. They told them they did not have money for them but they could give them a bath, some clean clothes, some food and talk about giving them a safe place to live. So here I was in my friend's living room looking down at these two little boys (probably about 8 and 10 years old-many children here do not know their ages). They had been scrubbed down in the bath, had clean clothes on that our friends had gathered from their own in their house and had eaten two sandwiches each and were sitting on a grass mat on their floor playing with their little boy who is 4. My friend explained that they had been praying that God would bring the little ones He wanted them to have and here were two that were precious to Him. My heart went was full of joy for the boys that they could be loved on for a little while and prayerful for my friends as they had the task of finding the grandmother of these two boys this afternoon and trying to convince her to let them care for them. Often the grandmother's will not let the children receive care because they use them for begging. It is so sad and frustrating and selfish. But because their thinking is that if they let them go to the orphanage where they will receive food, clothing, a place to sleep and schooling then they will not have someone to beg. It is difficult in this land to not become overwhelmed by the needs all around you, everywhere. And even more difficult to not become frustrated or heartsick that when you are able to help the people themselves often stand in the way and will not let you. Jesus please teach us all how to selflessly love others, that is my prayer.