In a chapel talk at school this spring, Samuel told his classmates that through watching the suffering of another, he has learned “that true joy comes from God.” He said that “it grows out of God’s love for us which is lived out on this earth only by our loving and caring for others the way that the Lord loves and cares for us.” I was blessed to witness this kind of love at Hogar last week and am the grateful recipient of the pure joy that resulted. 

When we arrived at the Hogar San Fransico de Asis last Sunday, my first thought was “chaos.” Controlled somewhat by routine, but chaos. There were children and volunteers everywhere….84, to be exact, in a not-so-big Peruvian home. I was struck by how quiet it actually was (with so many people occupying such a small space) and the lack of “things.” There were no toys on the floor. No clothes, backpacks, shoes or athletic equipment. No computers, iPods or xbox. No knick-knacks. Nothing, but a crucifix over the mantle, some photos of the children and some statues of Saint Francis of Assisi….and wheelchairs, walkers and crutches. This quieted me, and I felt a twinge of guilt.

Our children took in the surroundings with concern and curiosity on their faces, but it only took minutes for them to find a child to hold, play with or help with some task of daily living. Many times throughout the day, we would hear “Amiga/Amigo, por favor ayuda.” Friend, please help. As you would expect, our kids were eager to help. More than that, they did so with sincerity, compassion and joy. They hugged, kissed, held and literally raised up these precious children with broken bodies. They persistently struggled through the language barrier until they completely understood what was being asked of them. They were slobbered on, jumped on, tackled and bent over for long periods pushing bikes and chairs. None of this is necessarily worthy of praise, but all of it was pure joy to watch. None of them “had” to help, but all did so with gratitude and love. I wish you could have seen it. They were having fun and being of service.

Mostly, though, I think they saw a little of themselves in Tony’s children and were humbled by their own brokenness. This was an answer to prayer for me. Many times a day, one of them would say, “wow, I could never live like this or that.” “Look at how hard she or he is trying…I would give up.” “I can’t imagine being away from my family like this.” “I would never smile or go out if I looked like that.” “Look how happy he is, and he’s suffering so much.” I understood, because I was having the same thoughts. Could I suffer and forge on with a smile? Would I be like these kids? I wonder.

They also noticed that Tony’s kids seemed to have constant concern and compassion for each other. They looked out for one another and were helpful when they could be. We witnessed Tony’s kids…with missing limbs, broken and twisted bones, crippled, disfigured and blinded doing things for each other all day long! They tied each others shoes, delivered tooth brushes and carried backpacks. They spoke for each other and carried food to the table. They received candy or treats and gave them away. One little boy, Jorge, washed our dishes one night after receiving 6 hours of cemo the day before. Children, broken and suffering, but filled with joy that overshadowed their pain.  A joy, that I believe, has grown out of God’s love for them. Not our service or our imperfect love or that of other volunteers, not their parents’ or Tony’s love, but one that has the power to heal bodies and hearts. Love that comes from the Father, through the Spirit to each of us for each of us. Love that we were able to share through this opportunity to care for them. 

I am certain that love is the reason for the joy we observed and felt. Samuel is correct. True joy does come from God. We witnessed it in the midst of suffering and our hearts overflowed with love for these kids. There was joy at Hogar because there is love.  

I can’t say enough about the kids that served on the trip and the gratitude that I feel for having been able to serve with them. I pray that God will continue to show them His love and that they will find new ways to serve Him and get to know Him. I hope that I am so lucky to continue to walk this walk with them. God Bless!

Michelle