“See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come.”
Song of Songs 2:11-12
Dear ones,
Hard to believe how fast the weeks are flying by. Before long, the winter will be past and spring will come. I can't wait! Coming back to Galati after three weeks with family and friends was good for me. I was especially encouraged to here so many of you affirm that you ARE praying for me. Thank you so much. Your prayers remind me that I am never alone.
These last few weeks back have been a joy, as I find things more and more comfortable culturally and relationally. Yet they have also been some of the most trying weeks. In listening and opening my heart to some of the poorest of the poor, I have been taken to places of helplessness as I walk alongside those who are going through terribly difficult times.
I have been confronted with issues such as 1) Prostitution. This evil trade in human flesh steals the lives of so many girls before they have had a chance to begin. 2) Prison. Such horrible living conditions should never exist for anyone, even if they have committed punishable crimes. 3) Child abandonment. The love of a parent for a child is a special gift, but too easily stolen and lost forever.
I have no words. I have no solutions. I have only tears. Please continue to pray for me and those the Lord has brought into my life. Pray that I might better know how to be a support and offer the kind of love and hope that is life-giving.
Following is a recent excerpt from my journal:
Thursday, January 30, 2003
Spending more time with the street boys lately, I've begun to realize how much I love them. They are not much younger than me, but there is something very childish about them, the way they smile and laugh and talk optimistically about everything. The way every small story becomes a big deal, a way to gain center stage and get an audience laughing.
Cracked skin, dirtied fingernails, sooty faces and even graying hair at 20-years-old, yet they still have something to smile about. There are still soft spots in their hearts and this amazes me.
I could not help but laugh out loud yesterday watching one of the boys play soccer. More than once he wound up his leg to kick the ball but missed completely, the ball rolling on its way out of bounds. Instead of cursing, he laughed at himself, shrugged his shoulders and went bounding after the ball. This boy they call “Monster” has lost both his front teeth, but that doesn't stop him. He goes on smiling anyway.
Bogdan is another one who amazes me. I have never seen him looking as miserable as he does lately, a huge swollen abscess inside his mouth distorting the right side of his face to twice its normal size. Yet he refuses to let this kill his joy. Out of all the boys, he is always the most expressive and affectionate in the event that we happen to meet on the street or at the Center. He's always waiting with arms wide open, offering his heart and a smile.
So I've realized that I really love these boys somewhere deep inside, a love I never would have thought possible when we first met two years ago. It saddens me to see them hurting from frozen toes, rotting teeth and numerous other health problems. I want to help them find a way out of the mud and mire, to climb out of the pit into which they have fallen…”
“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
He set me feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.”
Psalm 40:1-3
In the coming months, I plan to spend an increasing amount of time away from the Center and more involved with street ministry, forming relationships with new children and making home visits with another staff member. Please keep me in prayer as I begin to step into new relationships and responsibilities and as I continually seek the Lord's direction.
In His Hands,
Rachel Simons
P.S. If you are interested in knowing how to pray for specific needs, visit www.wordmadeflesh.com and go to “prayer”. Or email me at rachel.simons@wordmadeflesh.com and I'll include you on my email list that I send to those committed to praying.