Child's Eyes

        There is something about a child’s eyes that finds a way of getting to your heart. While some are happy and some are sad at times, there is a story that makes each one who they are. Looking into the eyes of the children at Beautiful Gate one thing is clear, there are many stories represented through each child. Some eyes are bright, full of curiosity and energy, while others are tear filled and seeking love. Over the past two and a half weeks so many children have found a direct route to our hearts. Some of whom we have been told their stories while others simply raise their arms looking for a hug and someone to play with.

        Last Sunday the pastor here talked about striving to have a heart after God’s own heart. After hearing the message and just thinking about how much God cares for each of his children it hit me to think about how God looks at each of his children here. How at times his heart may break after seeing what his child is going through and yet other times how he smiles when He gives a child a new life and new hope for the future. He is molding each one and seeking out their hearts so that one day they may know Him and rest in the assurance of His plan from their past and all that has made it to their future and all that He will make it. It is my prayer that we strive each day to have a heart after God’s own heart as we are here at Beautiful Gate and also after we travel back home.    

Photos

Playgroup Activity: Making Footprints

Beautiful Gate Campus this time of year

Playing with the parachute during Playgroup

Week One - Getting Settled In

Dumela Everyone!

We are finally getting all settled in with our daily routines. We both were assigned to a baby house watching over about 15 children. We start at 7 in the morning serving breakfast to the kiddos. At 8 the older children go to an English Medium preschool and primary school right near campus. Then Jesse and I hang out with the infants, feeding, playing, and putting them down for a nap in each of our houses. Once lunch is done, all the kids rest up and then head out to playgroup. During playgroup the kids run around outside playing on the toys, showing off their soccer skills, and soaking up all the hugs they can get. After about an hour and a half the kids go back to their houses for baths, dinner, and playtime. Bedtime is usually around 6 or 7 and then we say goodnight to the housemoms. By the end of the night Jesse and I are pretty tired. We have so much respect for the housemoms. They do a wonderful job and love the kids very much! One of my favorite parts of the day is to watch the children say their prayers before they eat. It just reminds me that God is the one who created these precious children and he provides for every one of their needs.

We Made It!

We made it to Beautiful Gate! After roughly 2 full days of travel we made it safely to Lesotho, Africa.  We were able to spend a few hours in London during our layover there and the traveling went altogether very smooth. We arrived at the orphanage around 11 Tuesday morning. Many smiling faces, hugs, and handshakes greeted us as we entered the campus. While it was a long trip there are no words to describe how worthwhile it is to be with these kids and see the smiles on their faces. After now having spent a full day here it has been an incredible experience getting to know the children and some of their stories. It is a blessing to see how perfectly God made each one of them and to see the plan for a brighter hope and future He has for each of them come to life everyday.    

Heading Out

Dear family and friends,

      We want to say thank you so much for all or your support both spiritually and financially over the last few months. It is amazing to see how much God has blessed us in so many ways already before we have even taken off. As of last week Sunday both Shelby and I met our fundraising goals and surpassed them providing us with the opportunity to donate the extra funds to the operating expenses at Beautiful Gate. God has been evident throughout this entire process and we firmly believe that anything is possible with Him when its in His timing! We could not have done this without all of you. Thank you! Our bags are now packed and our flight is scheduled to leave tomorrow night at 7:20 pm. We are looking forward to what God has in store for us over the next 2 months. Tomorrow we will be taking off out of Grand Rapids and flying to Chicago. From there we head straight to London where we have an 8 hour layover. After which we will take off for Johannesburg. From Johannesburg we have a short flight to Maseru, Lesotho. We hope to arrive in Maseru at 10:40 am Lesotho time (6 hours ahead of Michigan time) on August 6. We would appreciate your prayers during the next few days if possible as there will be a lot of flights to catch and time spent on airplanes and in airports. We know that we are not going into this alone and that it is all planned out based on what God has in store! Thank you again for all you have done in making this trip possible for us! We pray that God will work in us and through us during our time in Lesotho.

                                                                                God bless,

                                                                                           Jesse and Shelby

(Ps we have decided to create a blog that you can follow because we feel it is a better way to keep you updated with a convenient way to upload pictures for you to see. Here is the link if you are interested http://jesseandshelby.blogspot.com. Feel free to pass this on or if you would like to continue receiving e-mail updates we can gladly do that as well, Thanks!)