Pleasantly Surprised by Sammie Maixner

Today was quite special. It truly was one of those days where one is reminded how out of our control life really is. We really do need to depend on God, and today was a perfect example of how detailed His plan for us really is. Oddly, few things went as we had planned, but looking back I could not be happier with how it ended up. After sleeping through the alarm and barely making it to breakfast I was scrambling to get dressed and get in the truck before heading out for the day. Half the team went to the Home for the Sick and Dying while the others went to Gertrude’s Orphanage. Walking into the Home for the Sick and Dying brought back vivid memories of tiny, helpless babies hooked up to IVs. However, to my surprise the number of children whose lives depended on a bag of fluids had greatly dwindled. We quickly found ourselves in the middle of a room of crying children. There were so many that needed to be held and changed and fed it was overwhelming. We dove right in. It was amazing to watch my team members do so much in such a short time, all the while smiling and laughing. Along the way there were minor hiccups throughout the morning, such as an extra messy diaper, but many ended up shaping a great story to tell the rest of the group. That afternoon some of us were supposed to take our first trip to the wound clinic. Unfortunately we arrived back at Home for the Sick and Dying a little too late and missed the van. At first we were quite discouraged, but soon we found our attention completely captured by the sweet little faces and high-pitched giggles of the orphan children. The afternoon passed quickly and we realized we had hardly thought about the missed opportunity. We incorrectly believed our day was over as we walked back to the guest house. As we arrived we were greeted by kids from the nearby houses anxiously anticipating a pick up game of soccer. We spent the greater part of two hours messing around with the kids and enjoying each other’s company. After countless pictures, nutmegs, and unique celebrations our day was truly over. It proved to be such a exceptional time and most of all we were reminded that God is the one who is truly in control and He has extraordinary plans for each and every one of us.