DOCK SERVES
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Pure Religion
Current students and alumni are being faithful to the calling of James 1:27
Pouring out God’s love Sarah Hart ’13
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t the end of July 2013, a group of 13 youth and adults from New Eden Fellowship took a trip to Guatemala and stayed at an orphanage called Fundaninos for seven days. Life at the orphanage was not at all what we expected. The biggest difference was there was not a strict schedule. We did not know the exact time we would be eating meals, or even what we would be doing in the next hour. This gave us the ability to focus on the present and to serve where we were needed and where our gifts and abilities best fit. The children of the orphanage were such a blessing. The first day we arrived I tried to make friends with a two-year-old named Carlos. He began to throw rocks at me, but as the week progressed he began to trust me and we were best buddies by the end of the week. What was wonderful about this trip was that our group always wanted to make sure there were smiles on each and every single child’s face. We spent as much time as we could with them because we wanted them to know they were loved. When we went to leave, a boy named Diego gave me the strongest hug. He had become a great friend and that hug confirmed I had done exactly what God planned. I made Diego feel loved. The last three days of our trip some of our group got to paint a mural in the cafeteria of the orphanage. The mural turned out to be one of a kind. The theme of the mural was Philippians 2:17: “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.” The center of the mural is a pitcher pouring water into cupped hands, with the reflection of the founder of the orphanage in the water. The background is a beautiful scene of the orphanage that looks out on a mountain. It represents how the founder poured her life into the children’s lives. This verse was also our groups theme verse for the week because we wanted God to work through us and we wanted to give what we had to offer to the children. We did not simply take a trip to Guatemala, but we traveled to a place where we could love God’s children. It was an experience that has forever changed our lives.
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