My Kids – Jessica’s First Blog
So everyone has been telling me I need to write a blog about All Things New and the orphanage. That it shouldn’t just be coming from Matt’s perspective, which I agree with. As I sit down to write I have only 1 thing I can write about and that’s my kids. I sit here in my air conditioned house in my comfy seat with my Wi-Fi and computer and all I can think about is that my children don’t have these things. I eat my three meals a day, run up to the store as needed, and sleep in my comfy bed every night and my children are in a whole other world. They are in a world where they never step inside to cool down (no air-conditioning) or have a comfy place to sit. My children sleep on plywood each night (with mattresses thanks to a church that donated them!) in a room where any type of disease carrying insect is free to come inside and bite them. Starting in October, my children will walk 45 minutes one way in the heat to school each day to get a better education. This is hard for me. It is hard for me to be here knowing the things they are dealing with and that I can’t be there right now to help and comfort them. It is hard for me to know that at any given moment, they could get a mosquito bite or drink dirty water that could change their life.
However, my children are the happiest children I’ve ever known. There is a joy in these kids that is indescribable. The kids are often known to burst into song and dance (if you’ve been there you know what I’m talking about) praising God. I have seen something as simple as crayons and a coloring sheet light up their day (and I’m talking teenage boys) because this is not something they get on a regular basis. These children find happiness in just sitting next to us and holding a hand.
I know that at this point in our journey God has us here in Jacksonville so that we can prepare to make a better life for these kids. At times, it is hard waiting. At times it is hard to know the things they are dealing with and that I can’t be there to help them. During those times though, I remember their joy. I remember that these kids find happiness in the best place and that is with the Lord and I try hard to let that be a lesson to me in where my happiness should come from-my Savior.