It was obvious that the children had never seen one before as curious expressions begin to appear on their faces. But with a little translation, we were soon engaged in activities that begin to produce the laughter that we long to hear from the children each day. I think by the end of the day we had determined that their favorite activity with the parachute is “Under the Sea.” This is where they get to go under the parachute and lay down, and the adults shake the parachute above them (making waves with the parachute–thus, under the sea.) I think it is their favorite because they do not have to shake the parachute! But all the activities produced laughter and by now we can identify the children by their laugh, as each one of them has a distinctive laugh.
Proverbs 17:22 says that a cheerful heart is good medicine…and Proverbs 15:30 says smiling faces make you happy… Both of these verses bring joy to our hearts as we see God’s Word coming to life through the laughter of the children of Lar Betania. There are a lot of heart breaking stories here, as with any orphanage, so to see them laughing and having a great time, confirms that we are in the right place at the right time.
I hope you laugh today and make someone else laugh. Not at someone’s expense, but through the Joy of Christ! Make someone smile, bring joy to their heart, you know, you could…open the door for someone, say thank you, tell a funny joke (one that you would tell to Jesus), go play in the mud with your children (or without them), you get the idea.
Make a difference today in the life of someone today and make them laugh!
Michael