1 May, 2010
Well I have finally arrived in
Swaziland!!!! I am so excited to be here and I have started off in a full run.
Somewhat unintentional, but this is what I have been waiting for, for almost
two years now. When I arrived I found out that Kriek would be leaving for a
Holiday in Cape Town with her family on Sunday, just 3 days after I arrived. (A
Holiday is a vacation for all the Americans who are wondering 😉 She quickly
taught me a few things in the office so that I can get started while she is
gone, and there is much to do, so I’m sure that I can stay busy while she is
away.
I also found out that we needed to
buy dresses for two of the care points. A group was here a few weeks ago and
they had a “Princess Party” for the girls at all of the care points. They gave
out dresses, but unfortunately they ran out, so now we are searching for
dresses for the rest of the girls. It has been quite an adventure as it is now
winter and all the summer clothes are almost all gone. We have been collecting
them here and there trying to find enough of the sizes that we need.
I don’t know if they used bags at
the “Princess Party” when they handed out dresses, but as we sorted out the
dresses we have been putting them in bags with the sizes labeled. As I put the
dresses in the bag, a small white bin liner (a garbage bag) I had a thought… A
kid in America would look at you like you were crazy if you told them you had a
gift for them and handed them a trash bag. I mean sure we have all bought a
gift late and given it in the shopping bag it came in instead of wrapping it
properly, but a trash bag? However, my next thought was of how these precious
girls are not going to care what the gift comes in, they are going to be so
excited about the gift that they are receiving. It is what is INSIDE that
matters!
How many times have we heard that,
don’t judge a book by it’s cover… your beautiful on the inside (I have a friend
in the states who used to tell me that all the time, “you are beautiful on the
inside and out.” What an incredible encouragement)… The Bible even speaks of it
as Samuel searching for David to anoint him to be the next king…
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do
not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord
does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart.”
~1Samuel 16:7
We are just
trash bags… earthen vessels… jars of clay… but we as believers, have Christ
inside of us, it is not ourselves that we want the world to see, or at least it
shouldn’t be, it is Christ in us. The gift that we have to give is Him! Knowing
Him, loving Him and learning how to be loved by Him so that we can love others
as He has loved us.
But we have this treasure in jars
of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.
~ 2 Corinthians
4:7
So as I anticipate being able to go
and help hand out these gifts, remember that you have a gift inside of you that
you have the opportunity to share everyday! Don’t hide behind the appearance of
the “package” that the gift is being delivered in. There is not a “package” in
the world that is worthy of holding this gift, but God has chosen to place it
in you! So do you part and share a little of Him today, it may be something as
little as a smile! But start with something.
I’ll have to try to upload a picture later, it’s not working for me now.
