Friday, June 10

This post is by Susan Clark and Casey Mackie

What a joy to be in this great country of Africa and meet our brothers and sisters in Christ on this side of heaven. There are no words to describe what this trip has meant to me and the deep love I have for these precious children of FOCUS as well as the workers.

After a great devotion and breakfast this morning we arrived at FOCUS around 10:00 or so and began working on improvements. There is a gate as you enter the orphanage that was all rusted. We painted it a bright blue and on each side of the gate we painted the logo of Project Lucas and FOCUS. It looks amazing as you drive up to the entrance! Then, in the main building, we added walls to the school to divide the large room into two separate rooms and painted them white to bring in some much needed light. We also cleaned the windows inside and out which made a huge difference.

As we were cleaning things up and making "all things new" so to speak, it reminded me of what Jesus does with us. He takes a dirty exterior shell, adds some color, a fresh coat of paint, renovates our structure and makes something beautiful out of something dirty and unattractive. He puts "The Smile of a Child" on our face, brings joy to our hearts and makes all things new. What a great God we serve!

While some stayed and cleaned up The Focus Center others went to the coffee fields to hand out back packs to another school. They were so happy to see us and had remembered us from the last time we came. The smiles on the faces of 150 students opening their back packs reassured us of the mission we were here to accomplish. It gave them hope of another year with supplies they would need.

Scott presented the gospel to over 250 children and adults that day. Many raised their hand wanting to receive Christ as their Savior. I still get chills as I recall seeing so many hands raised as flags of mercy. Hope for the day and a friend to walk beside them for the rest of their life.. Powerful..

We served each of them two rolls and an orange drink. I prayed God would bless the food and fill them. We had found out that for most this was the only meal they would have that day. Many are not able to attend school because the parents cannot provide more than one meal a day and the children would be too weak to walk to and from school. Can you imagine? I watched as the children would reach for the crumbs that fell from the table. It reminded me of a passage in the Bible as the beggars would long for the crumbs that fell from the kings table. Starving children and parents surrounded us and my heart broke with such sadness it was all I could do to keep from crying. I remembered what a wise lady had told me here. "Don't cry," she said. "They will think they cannot make it another day. Smile and give them hope." I held it in until the night.

There is so much need here and as I have heard Scott say, the need is so big but the solutions are so simple. Your giving makes such a huge difference in the lives of so many. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here and to be reminded of how important it is to reach out to those in need. I am not sure what God is planning in my life but I know that I will never be the same.