Horses for Orphans, Brazil - Day 8

This afternoon I sit outside on the bench and chat with one of the boys while he makes halters for Horses for Orphans. In a neutral voice but with great sadness in his eyes he tells me: “Do you know that my mother does not want me?” I do know this. I heard that she sent him away when he was just five years old. But what is there that one can possibly say? I look at him and say that this is a very great hurt, and that I know it too, because my mother doesn’t want me either. I then tell him about the Scripture God gave me that has helped me so much in dealing with this heartache. It is from Psalm 27: “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.”

Bill Johnson, speaking in England recently, shared about how we, who were orphans, are now sons and daughters of God. God is not the caretaker of an orphanage. He is the Father of a family. And all His interventions in our lives address the issues of sonship. At the end of the day, no amount of human loving is going to make up for the hurt and the love deficit in the lives of these children. What I do know is that the love of God can and does heal this kind of damage. I myself am testimony to this.

The younger boys have another Horse Agility session this afternoon. We are challenged to use our bits of Portugese terminology to explain the tasks, giving up and miming them when we can't make ourselves understood. Each team member is responsible for a different task. I have the circle ('circolo'), with cones in 4 quadrants where they have to stop: 'Para!' First they are to attempt the task at the walk ('andar'), and then at the trot ('trote'). I am delighted to find that I am able to communicate this, entirely in Portugese! Of course the children laugh at my pronunciation...

Ricardo* had a birthday a few weeks ago, and Ingela calls the team together so that we can surprise him with a little celebration. We gather some of our snacks and sweets from England and so are able to give him a small gift. Ingela and Richard have a Facebook account and a memory stick of photos prepared for him. We get to tell him, one by one, something we like about him. I comment on his excellent horsemanship, and on his smile. Ricardo* smiles all the time, and he makes you feel happy when you are with him. Just so you know, Ricardo's* mother is in a mental asylum, and he has nothing and no-one else. But he carries joy in and with him wherever he goes. 

* Name changed to protect privacy