New Life Outreach

So on that simple orphanage link I click and soon enough, I found myself struggling to decide between a 3 week trip to Europe or a 3 week volunteering work with HIV children.

In that moment, I made a decision to do something meaningful between jobs and hopefully make a difference in the lives of these little ones. I went ahead with the trip to Thailand and I spent the next 20 days in the orphanage which will chart a new course for my life....

Lets rewind a couple of years from here so you can understand the context.

Back in 1997 during one of the worst market meltdowns, my family was badly affected causing us to downgrade and I had to sign on with the Navy to help support the family. Deep inside, I was very upset.... upset with God for my entire family had been fervently serving in church.

I spent nights in my room asking God why does it have to happen to my family, didn't God say that He has good plans for us ? It was a big let down. I had to even shelve away plans to enroll into bible college CFNI(my dream bible college) and I ended up with the Navy despite disliking sailing.

Why the Navy then ? The navy had a small amount of shipboard allowance and this was what that attracted me - so I could earn a few more bucks to relief the financial strain on my family.

My dreams were shattered, I found myself in a 6 year bond to a place and facing an uncertain future. So deep inside me, I was disgruntled with my lot in life.

Now fast forward to 2007 in the Thai orphanage.

The orphanage had a dining hall which doubled up as a chapel in the evenings. So on my first evening there, I joined in but stood behind to observe. The little ones skipped into chapel and when they started the service.

The children started singing, it was terribly out of tune, the music was overwhelming, it was a mess. But I found my eyes welling with tears.....

The little ones who were infected with HIV from their natural parents are like lives which have been given a death sentence. Many would not live past their teens and all of these HIV children know of their impending fate. But yet they could still lift their hands and praise God.

By any comparison, they would have all the right to be disgruntled with God but they were not. What then gave me the right to be disgruntled ? I have so much more....