Power of a Mother

This is a blog post written by our friend Steve from yesterday.  I was touched when I read it this morning at breakfast. He shared it with me.  And yes in starting my day crying.

Maykol (Michael) has touched my heart.  I wish he could come home with me.  My heart loves this boy.

The Power of a Mother    (Costa Rica - Day 5)

This team has poured every ounce of our energy and emotion into these beautiful and deserving children. Every single drop. Tonight, my girls and I are on empty. We will need a recharge before tackling the day tomorrow - and we are certain God will do so.  No question.  He always does.

Tomorrow is the famous pool/ocean day. PANI (the government agency) allows us to board all of the kids at the orphanage on two buses and transport them to a pool/ocean in Puerto Viejo where we will meet them. This.is.absolute.chaos. The kids love it.  We love it. It will be a great day tomorrow - and we get to sleep in a bit as it will be the kids, and not us, traveling the hour plus from Limon to Puerto Viejo.  

When we pulled up to the orphanage this morning I purposefully stayed on the bus (with my window seat closest to the door) so that I could observe the greeting between the kids. It was powerful. It was intense.  It was overwhelming.  My eyes filled with tears. Watching these kids greet one another was like watching a family who had been separated for weeks or even months. Except they hadn't. I watched one little girl similar in age to Morgan hug her, bury her head in the nape of her neck with a wide smile on her face, step away to look her over from head to toe, and then hug her again - this time even harder. I watched another little girl almost knock over Ana (11) as she sprinted towards her to hug her. I watched little boys jumping all over Seth (10) and Drew (14) - wanting a small piece of them before they had even taken a few steps off the bus.  I wish I could articulate the scene better so that you could fully understand the intensity and depth of love between these kids.  It truly is something else.   You can be assured I will be watching the "reunion" again tomorrow from a few steps back. It's that good. 

 When I was chatting with my girls tonight before they dozed off (and it didn't taken them long), they shared with me some of the "nuggets" of the day. They agreed that as the week has wore on the kids want to be held longer, tighter and more often. I can certainly attest to that observation. Emma told me a 9 year old asked her today if she would hold her. Emma is 11. It was sweet - Emma said Dad she is bigger than me. These kids want to be held, touched, paid attention to, and loved intensely and unconditionally like they deserve. Like all kids deserve.

Let me tell you something: Do not ever underestimate the power of a mother. Ever. While I see it and live it everyday in my home back in the states with my beautiful wife, Jennifer, I have seen it on full display  under different conditions. Under very difficult conditions. There are three mothers on this trip with whom I am very familiar: Kim Welge (mother of 3), Makila Lors (mother of 4), and Susan Shisler (mother of 4). Unbelievable mothers. They are absolute magnets for these children. Without uttering a word, these mothers offer these kids a sense of stability, security, compassion, and  understanding - that only a mother can offer. And these kids know it. They sense it. They feel it. They desire it. They want more of it. 

Let me give you an example:  Maykol is a a troubled and heartbroken 14 year old boy.  He and his younger sister have been placed in the orphanage. Maykol is an extremely handsome young man. He is tall and physically solid. He is intriguing but distant. When you look into his eyes you can see that he trusts no one. You can see years and years of pain and disappointment. He is unimpressed. He is walled off and guarded. Upon our initial stop at the orphanage on Sunday, I identified Maykol as someone to whom I wanted to build a bridge.  I wanted to connect with him. I wanted to get to know him. Understand him.  Break through to him.  Since Sunday,  I have tried and tried and tried but have had no success. I began to conclude that in  Maykol's eyes I was just another adult to him that would deliver nothing but disappointment. I began praying for Maykol.  I prayed that if I could not reach him someone on our team would.

Over the last few days I began noticing something about Maykol. He was migrating to Susan Shisler on our team. Susan is a mother to . . . . .4 boys.  Two of which are teenage boys. God is awesome, huh?  Maykol began to discreetly follow her. Wanted to perform projects next to her. Spent a 1/2 day painting a concrete wall blue for a mural - with Susan. Yesterday, I noticed he was milling around the kitchen area. Why?  Susan was in the kitchen printing photographs for other kids. He seemed to pull something from her. Love. Encouragement. Understanding. Compassion. Probably all of the above. Best delivered by a mother of 4 boys. Tears rolling down my cheeks as write this. As we were preparing to leave the orphanage yesterday, I happened to be sitting on a concrete pad in front of the bus when I heard Susan ask someone to take a picture of she and Maykol. I turned and looked over my shoulder to watch.  I was curious.  How would Maykol handle this request?  How would this emotionally disconnected young man respond?  Susan stood next to him and wrapped her right arm around his waist. Maykol then took his left arm, placed it around Susan's neck, and rested it over the front of her left shoulder. And smiled. The power of a mother. 

 I love my girls.  More than they will ever know. I have loved every single minute of spending time with them on this trip.  Undoubtedly one of the greatest blessings in my life. They demonstrate such compassion. They have such a heart for these children. I learn from them. Everyday. They have persevered under high temperatures and near 100% humidity.  No complaints. Not one.  On the bus trips home from Limon everyday (one hour plus), we talk about the heartbreak, the stories, the providence and sovereignty of God, and how God uses people in different ways and according to their unique gifts. What's great about that, however, is that it is not only talk. They have had the chance to live it, see it, and experience it. On those trips home from Limon we also discuss with regularity what more we can do to give these kids a shot in life.  I honestly believe my girls would adopt them all with no thoughts of the impact it would have on them and their role in our family. I really believe that. In their mind - why not?  Maybe all of us need more "why not" in our lives. I do. 

Pura Vida -

Steve