One of our stops between Riga and Liepaja was an orphanage near the city of Tervete.  After lunch with the children, we planned an afternoon of sports activities and a time of Bible study. As the group was leaving lunch for the activities, I happened to see a young girl of about 8 years of age sitting in a chair outside the dining area. She had not been with us during lunch and did not seem to be interacting with the other children.

An interpreter in our group learned that Anna was the child of one of the ladies who worked at the orphanage. Anna did not feel a part of the group, but it was obvious to me she was lonely. We asked her to join us for the afternoon and she agreed after gaining permission from her mother.

I had the opportunity, that afternoon, to share in the activities with my new-found friend. We flew kites, played ball and participated in various activities together. We had taken shoes to give to the orphans and I had the privilege of putting a new pair of shoes on this beautiful young child. It was great to see her smile.�

When it was time to leave, we had to tell the children goodbye, not knowing whether we would ever see each other again. The next year, our church group went back to the orphanage at Tervete and I was looking forward to seeing Anna again. I was disappointed to learn that Anna’s mother was not working the day we were there, so we missed seeing each other.�

The next week, I joined a Buckner International group led by Dr. Ken Hall that was on a mission trip to Latvia and Russia. While visiting with the Tervete orphanage director in her office, our group was briefly interrupted when one of our interpreters brought Anna into the meeting to say Hello to me. Later, Anna and I were able to spend some time together again, something I remember to this day.

Her name is Anna and she is a part of my Buckner mission trip memory. She represents the many children of this world who have a name and are waiting for someone to make them aware that they are loved. (Matthew 25:40 New Century Version) “Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people, you did unto me.’”