You Know This - Kazakhstan

Back in 2006 I went on a mission trip to казахстанец...aka Kazakhstan.

We spent most of our time in an orphanage hanging out with the kids and building a playground (pictured below). Just today I stumbled on a blog created by a couple who are helping the children in this very orphanage, and I broke down in tears. It is so easy to come back to America and forget about the kids. So I went back to an old blog that I posted right after the trip and thought it may be worth sharing again...

The orphans would just tear your heart out. They crave attention and are hungry for love. The simple act of holding a child in your arms is life changing to them. There was one pair of brothers in particular that caught my attention, 5 year old Sasha (pictured below) and his 8 year old brother, Andres. Here's their story: Their mother is highly addicted to drugs. Their father couldn't handle it anymore and took his own life. The grandparents didn't want them, so off to the orphanage they went. From the moment I saw Sasha, I fell in love with him. He had so much personality, yet kept to himself for the most part. Being so young, Sasha just didn't fully understand what was going on. He kept telling me about his home and how he had a dog and all these toys and how he wanted to go back. It was just heartbreaking to know that the world he knew would never be the same again. Andres really carried the burden. Being the older, he fully understood what had happened and how the orphanage was now their life. Leaving the orphanage was really emotional for me. Sasha happened to be standing by the van as I was leaving. I ran out there, scooped him up in my arms, and just held him as tightly as I could. It was so hard to not be able to explain what was going on. I can only pray that the one week spent with him was enough to impact his empty life. Looking into the eyes of those children, you can see so much pain and sorrow. They have experienced more hurt in their five years of life than I have in my twenty-five years. Letting them know that someone out there cares about them is all they really want. When you see the smiles light up these faces, you cannot help but to fall in love. This is a sensation that cannot be described. It needs to be personally experienced.

Sorry for such a serious blog after being MIA for over a month.
But seriously, if you have never been on a mission trip, you really need to consider going.