Today we’ve been asked to paint two bedrooms in one of the buildings in the orphanage. One of the two larger buildings in this compound house infants to five year olds, and the second one, which we will paint, houses six year old children up to early teens. A third building within the confines of the orphanage is residence to 13 teenage girls. Most of the kids who occupy these buildings have very interesting stories. Some were orphaned when their mother died during or not long after child birth. This is not an uncommon occurrence because of the lack of prenatal treatment most mothers receive. Some children were dropped off by parents or relatives who could no longer afford to feed and house their children. There are stories of children being abandoned at the doorway to the orphanage or brought there by friends or distant relatives who witnessed them being neglected. There is even a child living at the orphanage who was found by workers at a garbage dump. They heard the whimpers of the child and thought it was an animal which was trapped under the rubbish until they discover the hours-old infant with his umbilical cord still attached and, according to the mission director, still moist. The compassion which is evident in the voice of Lynn Joseph, the f
ounder of Mission of Grace, is astounding. She rarely turns kids away and people come from far distances to place their children in her care because of her stellar reputation.
As we begin our task, it is evident to me that some of our team members ARE NOT painters…at all. There are splatters and drips all over the floor however, it is apparent that we all are going about our task with considerable zeal. Those of us who are a little more experienced are asked to use paint brushes to “cut it” areas near molding and windows. Others are given rollers and told to stay within their boundaries.
We manage to get two coats of paint on the walls of one of the bedrooms and the first coat in the second bedroom before we break for lunch. When we return an hour later, we knock out the rest of the job in no time. When the residents (kids) come back we hear some squeal with excitement at what they witness. I heard a couple of them say “tres belle”, which translates to “very pretty”. It’s been a minute since the walls have been painted so they are very happy. Since we’ve completed our task, we have play time with the kids until we have to return to our hotel. I’m not sure whether Rev. Robin or the child she is holding is enjoying this moment more.
A couple of people from our team go to the Grandma’s House while we were painting and pampered the people there. They received manicures and pedicures, massages, hugs, kisses and much more. This building houses several seniors, one of which is 105 years old. There is also a couple of younger men there…one has polio and the other has severe developmental issues. Ms. Lynn thought it better to house them there.
Our meeting with the pastors from Grace Church goes better than expected. They open up by thanking us for taking the time to meet with them. The senior pastor said he listened intently to our exchange yesterday and committed to implementing a few of our recommendations. Praise The Lord!