People Whom I Love                                                                        

Either fate, God or God’s control over fate has caused me to, on multiple occasions, cross paths with a small girl who is actually a teenage girl. She has Cerebral Palsy and hasn’t grown at all really past the size of a young child, she’s partially blind, she doesn’t speak but she is gorgeous. The first time I met her I was a little awkward, there wasn’t anything that I could think to do. She’s lying fragile in a bed, locked in her own head and not knowing many other voices than her mother’s. What moved me most was the flies that covered her; one on her hand, three on her hair, one on her eyelid. So I sat with her every day for a week in the lunch break on our construction work there, sometimes I’d pick her up, sometimes I’d tickle her foot or sometimes I’d just hum to her. I don’t know what she’s thinking, I don’t even know if she enjoys being with me to be honest but I am at one of my most happy points in all life when I sit with the little big teenage girl. Imagine my infinite joy when I’m tapped on the shoulder and turn to find her and her mother at the day centre at Casa Albert!!!! Now, towards the end, I always set aside about 15 minutes, for this little girl, just sitting and hugging or massaging. Please pray for a hot Wednesday/Thursday soon because the dream is to give this little girl her first go in the swimming pool. We will need a cleaner present because when that day comes I may just burst with happiness.

Now Ungereni is a state run institution for adults with special needs that I really rather enjoy. It is full of people who are unassuming, full of love and immediately friendly. As I went from room to room passing out cakes and “buna ziua”-s as I went until I entered the fifth door and met two very lovely gentlemen. One young and full of beans, the other old and always ready with a lengthy story and a hand massage. The first has a passion for Jesus that puts me to shame. He asks me to pray with him and he was gifted me with a Jesus bracelet……..in return for a pair of snazzy sunglasses, he now looks like James Bond. The second I could sit with for hours, I can’t understand a single word he says but I laugh when he laughs, lean in when his voice builds and enjoy the most phenomenal hand massage.

Finally, in the world of day centre, my favourite place, I have discovered that my favourite thing to do with my favourite people in my favourite place is talk about God. I have had the privilege of leading Chapel time with the kids and I have done Job and Jacob (Israel) except they were both, in my story, called Octavian. I have learned a few things; don’t leave people out, don’t go on for too long and most importantly don’t sing!!! I just burst with excitement and a little fear all the way through sitting up late planning, thinking of ideas, gathering props and finally telling the kids the story with a personal twist and a message. Then they offer a little of their skills – Lorenzo will sing a song (and I try not to cry) and they recite the Lord’s Prayer, I don’t know why it’s so much fun. I just want these wonderful kids with the threat of a terribly short life to be 100% that God loves them.

Jack

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