Walking in you see the blank, brick halls, you smell the sent of the familiar smells of walking those halls before. First there is the stillness, the quite before the storm. Suddenly the storm hits, a wave of small bodies engulf you. Four hundred bodies to be exact, all ranging between the ages of 10 and 11. The air is thick with their anticipation of the night. I am still hearing their screams and squeals of energy that couldn’t be contained.
As I walked around in the beginning I was just soaking it all in. Every little child that pushed and shoved brought such happiness to me. I couldn’t have been more blessed. I walked from room to room watching the other volunteers interact with the children. I saw David in a hard core game of basketball with a mob of soon to be Michael Jordans; I watched James intently cheer the kids on the bungee blowup; in the cafeteria was Sam and Tony pouring drinks for the parched little ones, then there was Laura surrounded as she entertained them. Each person was seizing the opportunity to be Jesus to those around them. The love that was poured out was overwhelming. How amazing it was to be a part of those people serving uninhibited and unhindered. Watching Him pull people out of their comfort zone with out reserve was amazing.
There were so many vivid images that have stuck in my mind from that night. There can be nothing better than being pushed and pulled on by little hands. Nothing could surpass the eyes filled with wonder and excitement as they look into yours. But then again, not all the eyes were filled with light. There were eyes that held back the pain of silently fallen tears, the pain and hurts that were still fresh were displayed in their eyes. So many opportunities to pour love onto them and speak words of life were surrounding me. A few that stand out are the little kids from Burr Ridge. These kids were tough; they held their own and stuck together. Two of the girls kept walking past me, they would look as I smiled at them and they would squeal and run away. It started being a game, one would walk past while the other pocked and prodded me. They flipped my hair and would run like the dickens once the deed was done. Soon they gathered the rest of their crew to invade my bubble. I couldn’t walk past them without being assaulted by little fingers. No matter what they did I would laugh and joke with them. Mackenzie came up to me as I was helping on the bungee run, she looked at me and shouted above the noise, “Why you so happy all the time?!” Her look demanded an answer, so I replied, “Well, it’s a secret.” The look of shock came on her; she couldn’t believe I didn’t straight up tell her! I continued, “You have to figure it out, then come back and tell me!” She rushed off after that, a few moments later she returned looking as if she had conquered. “I know what it is, you have joy in your heart”, she stated. “You are SO close, but there is something more” I told her. Later in the cafeteria she found me, this time she was smiling shyly. I asked her if she had figured it out yet, with another smile she said that she had. “You have God in you”, she said with a smile. I beamed at her and told Mackenzie she was exactly right on!
Another image that is stuck in my head is this little boy screaming out for love in all the wrong ways. He knew that he needed something; he just didn’t know how to accept it. This little boy would come up and mock me, every word that I would say he would repeat back. Swatting his hand inches from my face he would pretend to try and hit; at times he would shove and then saunter off. Every time he would do those things it was an opportunity to saturate him with love. Once I caught on that he was going to repeat everything I said just to mock me, I started saying loving things to him. He would start to say them back but then he realized that what he would be repeating would be loving he then stopped. Around that time he got frustrated because he was receiving no negative reaction, that’s when he would try to physically push me. When he realized that nothing would faze me he stopped. It hurt so much to see a little boy starving for genuine love that he had to use hate to get it.
There are so many other pictures that will stay in my mind for a long time. There is nothing like what happened that night. What was so amazing was to know that God was honored and glorified throughout the entire night.
Eph 3:20-21:Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen
oh ya, take a look at that sunrise!!! I think it was His way of saying it was good :)
