Note: This devotional is taken from the It’s Your Mission trip blog. It was a Sept. 13 blog entry from a team that distributed shoes to children in Honduras.

Today was definitely a first for me; and I think it’s safe to say it was for most everyone here. Today, we met the children at a private orphanage that cares for orphaned children living with AIDS.

At first glance, it looked like any other orphanage I’ve been to in the last four years. But when we entered the building, the first thing we saw was the mural below:

The mural on the wall is the children’s hands with hearts painted inside them. If you look closely, the ones with crosses above their hands or painted next to the heart are the ones who have passed away.

Needless to say, most of us were a little shell shocked. I looked at the wall and then spotted Mary, tears streaming down her face. As I turned around, Mike was standing to my right in pretty much the same condition. All he could mouth was “Emma.”

Emma is his niece and could have easily been any of these children, because at first glance, they don’t look sick. Most don’t know they are sick! And they don’t understand why they feel badly sometimes. We had to be done and headed out the door by exactly 4:30, because that’s when dinner is served and the medicine is administered. They cannot deviate from this schedule.

On days like today, I simply remember that we serve a sovereign Lord. I can’t answer the “whys,” and I’m too tired tonight to even try. But I believe him, I trust him and I praise him, because there is coming a day when he’ll wipe away every tear. There’ll be no more sickness and no more pain.

Carmen Brown is a morning show DJ on The Joy FM, a Florida-based contemporary Christian music radio station. She recently took a mission trip to Honduras, and has been on several mission trips with Buckner to Guatemala and Peru.

Prayers of the Week:
-God, only you have the power to take care of these hurting children. We trust you to comfort them in their pain and give them peace.
-God, be with those today who are struggling with the “why?” of hard circumstances in their lives. Help them to cast their cares and burdens upon you.

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If you are interested in submitting a devotional for Buckner Faith Focus, please e-mail lsturdy@buckner.org.

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