FBC LaBelle
I was really thankful for our devotion this morning given by Greg. Greg read from Isaiah 41:8-10. He talked about how the Lord would give us strength which is so true. I think most of us were tired this morning. I know I was. I woke up not really in the mood for this today. I wasn’t feeling good and I was tired. It helped that Greg did his devotion on how the Lord would give us strength. I know He does but we all just need to be reminded of this from time to time. I know if it wasn’t for the strength that God gives us I wouldn’t be here.
Today we went back to the nursing home. Some of us painted the inside of a building. Some of us scraped metal to be prepared for painting. Some of us like myself painted fingernails and toenails. We rubbed lotion on the ladies there and gave them massages. I helped Michelle with one of the ladies. We cleaned the old polish off, clipped, buffed and painted her fingernails. As Michelle painted her fingernails I rubbed lotion on her arms. We had our interpreter Rosa ask her if she wanted her toenails paint and of course she did. I’m not someone who likes to touch other people’s feet but I painted her toenails for her. Her feet were dirty, they had sores on them, her skin was rough, and her toenails were thick. I sat down on the floor to paint her toenails. As I started cleaning them off with a hand wipe it didn’t matter anymore that her feet were not the cleanest. I just started painting her toenails and Michelle put lotion on her legs. I asked Rosa to make sure I wasn’t being too rough in how I was handling her legs or feet. She said something to Rosa and I asked what she said. Rosa told me she said it felt good. I realized then and there that it really didn’t matter if her feet were clean or dirty. What mattered was the time, the attention, and the love we were giving to her. She just doesn’t know what she did for me today. I was enjoying this. I was enjoying touching her feet and painting her toenails. She made me forget about what her feet looked like when I saw her smiling. God likes to take us out of our comfort zone and this was definitely out of my comfort zone. Yet it’s in these moments when we are greatly blessed. I was truly blessed that I could do this and spend today with these women who are all so beautiful and make us smile and laugh. They sing to us and laugh when we don’t understand what they are saying. They have found a place in my heart that I will hold onto for as long as I live. God knew what He was doing when He brought us here. He knew I would fall in love with them and not want to leave them. I never dreamed that in two days complete strangers in another country would come to mean so much to me. I know that this kind of love can only come from Jesus the one who loved me first so I could love others.
VBS went great! Since the gum was such a hit yesterday I decided that I would buy some candy for the kids. They love this and I’m pretty sure it’s something they don’t get very often. It’s just awesome to see the smile on their little faces when they get a piece of candy or gum. The kids seem to be getting a little more use to us. Emily has been a hit with several of the girls there and why not she’s great! We sang and danced before Bible study. The kids love to hear the songs in English which is good for me. Today’s study was about love and yesterday was about trust. Today’s story came from Luke 7:36-50 which is about the sinful woman who anointed Jesus. This story taught the kids about love and the love Jesus has for them. It’s also because of this love that we are being blessed on this trip over and over. I’ve been thinking about these two things a lot these last few days. I trusted Jesus enough to come here but before I came I prayed that He would help me to love these kids and He has. These kids are dirty, smelly, some have attitudes and others can’t help but hang all over you. It’s because of love we are all doing this. It’s because of Jesus that we can love them. I had Allison who is five sitting on my lap today and I loved all over her. I kissed her and hugged her and I didn’t care that she was dirty. All I wanted to do is just put my arms around her and hold onto her. She is just gorgeous and I believe that I was chosen to come here just so I could love her. Just like the ladies in the nursing home I have fallen in love with these kids and I don’t want to leave them. They need to know they are loved and they need somebody to love them. I want them to know this. They deserve to know this. They deserve to know there are people that love them but more importantly they need to know they are loved by a savior who loved them first. He loved them so much that He gave His life for them because they are worth that much to Him. It all comes back to love. We love because Jesus first loved us!
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says that “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. “
Jennifer Ruble
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