06 Dec In All Things….
As we approach the end of 2015, it is amazing to look back on all that has taken place in the life of the Sparrow Children’s Home in this eventful year. Our family moved here and opened the doors of the Home in February. We took in our first two babies shortly thereafter. By the end of July, there were two more babies living with us and two new cabanas in place on the property for future families. In August, Chris and Alishia Weeks moved to Santiago and the first of the two cabanas was completed. And now, finishing touches are being made on the second cabana with the hopes that very soon God will lead us to our next set of house parents.
In the midst of all of this, we brought on two new staff members, Lilian and Emy, who help us take care of the children and keep the house in order on a daily basis. Both are tremendous blessings who we would be lost without. Shortly, we will bring another new face on our staff to take care of the property grounds and facilities. In short, this has been a fast-paced and challenge-filled year with plenty of ups and downs as we have dealt with repairs, maintenance and other hurdles, but it has also been a year that we can look back upon and realize more than ever how much peace God can provide when you fully understand that He is in control of all things. Does that mean it was always easy to stomach the trials and get through them with a smile and grateful heart? Absolutely not. However, we can say without a doubt that through it all God has continued teaching us the importance of being content with the life he has blessed us with, no matter what may come.
What does that mean? Well, let’s paint a picture of some of the adversity we have faced this year. A car wreck shortly after moving to a new home that nearly totaled a vehicle and resulted in expensive repairs. Seemingly endless car troubles week to week. Receiving a baby who had dealt with a bout of meningitis and numerous doctor’s visits and concerns over her future. Another baby who suffered severe injuries and illnesses as a result of neglect and poor treatment from his birth mother. Illnesses. Injuries. Constant home repairs. Tick infestations. Frustrations with adapting to life and language in a new culture. And the list could go on. I’m sure you can understand how strong the temptation was and is at times to just throw your hands in the air and say “I give up God, what more can I do?!” You understand because the challenges we have faced in our short time here may be different in type, but no different in volume to the ones you have dealt with yourself on a daily basis. However, those moments of desperation and seeming surrender are always pre-empted or closely followed by the reminder of what God has done, is doing and will continue to do in our lives. And that is that He is always there in the midst of everything to receive glory for the outcome.
For every illness, there is a story of healing. For every question of how are we going to pay for this, there is a story of timely donations and support from the body of Christ. For every struggle or challenge that presents itself, there is a story of victory only explained by the power of God to work in that situation. You see, in those moments when it is easy to question why we are challenged with certain struggles, we now recognize and realize the reasons we can rejoice in those trials. Not because we enjoy them or because they are easy to deal with, but because we know that ultimately God will be glorified in the outcome. We can always be reminded that God is always looking out for our good and that is essential for us during our times of trial, when things often don’t make sense. Ultimately, I believe that God is more concerned about transforming us into the image of his Son than he is about how it will temporarily affect us. Because He can see the end result.
The apostle Paul was beaten, imprisoned, stoned, and shipwrecked. However, still in prison chains, he wrote to the church:
“11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phillipians 4:11-13, NIV)
In these verses, Paul tells us to be content in our circumstances, not thankful for our circumstances. When things go wrong, what can we praise God for? We can praise him for who He is. Our circumstances do not diminish His character, and He never becomes less than He is.
The word content is defined by one dictionary as “being satisfied with what one is or has.” This feeling of satisfaction is propagated by an attitude. What it basically comes down to is that you only have two possible choices when situations arise, whether good or bad. You can be reactive and let that situation dictate your response, or you can be proactive and choose your actions based on discipline. Being content is a proactive choice in everything. It is a choice that you and I can make in every single situation. Contentment doesn’t mean we are always happy in the bad times. Rather, it means we can be satisfied with life because we know that God has everything under control. Paul again summed up this idea in his letter to Timothy as he states:
“A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough.” (1 Timothy 6:6-8, MSG)
One example of this attitude of contentment is best illustrated by one of our dear friends here who we’ll call Suyapa. Suyapa currently lives with her four year old son in a
We recently learned that she does not have a bathroom or a pila, and they daily bathe and wash their clothes in the dirty river and use the bathroom in plastic bags. Just a few weeks ago, Suyapa informed Roxanne that she was pregnant and had been having some cramping and bleeding. Roxanne took her to the doctor where she discovered that she had lost the baby at nine weeks. In light of these living conditions, Suyapa is one of the happiest people I have ever met, and even a few weeks after her terrible loss she is back at her job and exudes a happiness that is nothing short of contagious.
To the best of our knowledge, Suyapa does not have a close, personal relationship with Christ, but has served as an amazing testimony to Roxanne and I throughout the time we have known her and especially since we learned of her living conditions. No electricity, no reliable water supply, no bathroom, no sink, no air conditioning, no TV, no internet, terrible living conditions, the loss of a child? That’s enough to make anyone miserable right? But no, she is almost always walking around smiling and humming or singing, and she serves as an example to our family of how we are to live out our lives each and every day even in the midst of whatever life or the enemy may be throwing at us.
Our contentment lies in the knowledge that we serve an ever-loving and all-powerful heavenly Father who has given each of us the incredible free gift of salvation and assures us that He walks beside us every step of the way as long as we surrender our lives and follow Him. That doesn’t mean I have to enjoy the trials or challenges that lie ahead, but it does mean that I should face them with the knowledge that I don’t have to fight those battles alone and with the remembrance of every prior battle faced and how God ultimately received the glory through those circumstances as well. Simply put, it is living life with the joy of knowing that God can accomplish anything and having faith that He will be glorified through whatever challenges arise. May the story of Suyapa and the knowledge of the incredible, powerful and loving God we serve encourage you daily to strive to be content in whatever trial or stage of life you are facing today.
The Sparrow Children’s Home is very grateful for all the prayers, donations and love we have received from our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, and, just as Paul wrote in Philippians, thank God every day in our remembrances of each of you. May God bless you all during this season of Advent and as we celebrate the birth of Christ. And may you remember every day that this season and every day brings the contentment of knowing that Christ has come and is coming soon!
Dios le Bendiga!
Eric Bowman
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