I can only echo the sentiments of my sister Elizabeth. When the Lord gives you favor, you have FAVOR indeed. God gave Joseph favor with Potipher, and with the jailer, and with Pharoh. One of our prayers before coming to Macedonia was that He would bestow His favor upon us, particularly with the children, but also with the orphanage administration and with the members of SoulCraft City church. He did amazingly, above and beyond, what we could have expected.
First, He gave of favor with the children from the orphanage. The young people that we met last year greeted us with open arms; genuine open arms and open hearts. Last year a foundation of love was laid that maintained throughout the entire year; it was like we never left. And because of their acceptance and love for us, all of the new children accepted us equally as well. New friends were made that, by the grace of God, will grow and flourish into a flower that has eternal consequences for them and for us.
Second, God gave us favor with the orphanage administration. Stepcha, the head administrator of the facility greeted us with an enthusiasm that I never expected. Last year, before we began our activities in the gymnasium, we had a meeting with Stepcha; he was somewhat questioning, maybe even doubtful, about our motives and our capacity to accomplish the task at hand. The team last year worked very hard, and I believe we demonstrated our love and commitment to the children and the work of improving the orphanage. Because of that project last year, this year, as I stated earlier, Stepcha's greeting and enthusiasm was unabated and genuine. He was very happy to see us and to participate in the installation of the playground equipment; he was hands on all day (except for the time he had to take out for the minor fire in the orphanage dormatory). He told Nikola, the SoulCraft pastor, the "this was a day that the children would remember for the rest of their lives".
God also gave us favor with the work that was to be accomplished. The team installed a Zipline between two trees; the distance was almost perfect for the 200 foot long unit that we purchased and brought with us. The height on the first tree was about 16.5 feet and the height on the second tree was about 6 feet. Needless to say, a good ride was had by all; no one dropped off and no one was injured (with the minor exception of Nathan's hand). Today, we will build a ladder and platform to allow the little ones to ride. We also purchased playground equipment which was delivered on Tuesday morning. It was constructed of new wood and the contractor did a very good job. We off-loaded the units and got them in place. The contractor took over and completed the installation process. Today, we will sand and paint the units; it should be a good day.
Finally, God gave us favor within the team. Like the team from May 2011, God has knitted our hearts together; we worked like a well-oiled machine. Like Elizabeth said, we laughed (belly laughs and laughing out loud) and we cried (mostly Elizabeth). Not a cross word was spoken and we enjoyed each other's company all day. The children eagerly accepted the new team members, and from the moment that we set foot on the grounds, we had favor with the children and love from them and for them. Thank you God for this team and the work of preparation for the past six months, and the way that you have enabled us to begin this adventure with the children from the 25th of May orphanage. We serve an awesome God that loves us and the people of Macedonia.
Father, we boldly pray today, again, for your favor in all that we do.
