Gentle Hands

I have been awful at blogging lately. The past few weeks have been packed full of busyness! I do have an experience that I'd like to share with you all though.

Last night, I was able to visit a child welfare agency (orphanage) here called Gentle Hands. A few people that I know are very connected to Gentle Hands, and one of my students actually lived there for a month before her adoption process began. One of my friends and co-teachers, Kim, goes to Gentle Hands on Sunday evenings almost on a weekly basis. I was thankful to be able to join her this week! She is currently in the adoption process of Daniel, a 4 year old cutie!

I had never really been to an orphanage before, and it was not what I expected. The home currently has 3 levels. The bottom level has different rooms for the children based on age. We started in the nursery, and I was able to hold a precious baby girl named Raven. We then moved up to the toddlers. These 1-2 year olds were very timid and skeptical of their new visitor. It took them awhile to warm up to me, but after a few minutes I had a good game of "catch the monkey" going with a set of twin boys. Our next room had boys and girls around the ages of 3-5. These kiddos were so excited to have someone watch them! One little boy named CJ immediately grabbed my hand, pulled me down to sit on the edge of a bed, and hopped up on my lap. CJ and another little girl noticed my cross necklace, pointed to it and said "Jesus!" and then broke out into "Jesus Loves Me." It was pretty precious. :) The remainder of their words were mainly in Tagalog, so I just smiled and enjoyed their chattiness. The last couple of rooms were divided by gender. It was fun to talk to the older girls and boys. They are blessed with so many brothers and sisters in their home!

After hanging out with the kids, we moved up a couple of floors to where the family that runs Gentle Hands lives. This floor was also very busy, as some of the kids live up with this family based on their special needs. We were able to have dinner with the workers and I learned more about the extensive and slow adoption process of the Philippines. It takes years and so much patience for these families!

I learned one huge lesson on this night. Charity, the woman who runs Gentle Hands, explained that there is a misperception of orphanages. Many people, myself included, have this instinct to feel sorry for orphans and the living situation they are in. We have this view that we must rescue these children from orphanages. I understand that this may be true for some orphanages, but Gentle Hands doesn't fall into that category. The children there are so loved and cared for. They are fed spiritually and mentally, and they are loved by so many workers that dedicate their lives to this ministry. I have a lot of respect for those that God calls to orphan ministry.

If you would like to learn more about Gentle Hands visit their page at http://gentlehandsinc.org/ . What a beautiful ministry! Praise the Lord for taking care of His children.