Here is a sweet little story about telling sweet stories:
So backtrack a little . . . we have recently been visiting
this orphanage called New Hope and it is right down the street from our
house. Although there aren’t very many
kids there right now because of the holidays, we have been blessed to get to
know a handful of really awesome young women.
On Christmas Eve, some of the girls, Eva, Brenda and Gorrete
came by to visit us. We sat in the grass
out in front of our house because the sun was shining and there was a breeze
just noticeable enough to keep us cool.
Cherise, my teammate, has been reading them The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by
C.S. Lewis. One thing that really breaks
my heart with these children is that they are forced to be grown-ups at very
young ages so that they can simply survive; and in that, they don’t get to
experience the beauty of imagination. It
is so cool to watch them hear these stories and use their imagination because
their faces glow and they just laugh and laugh; it is a truly beautiful
thing.
When Cherise finished reading a couple of chapters, Eva and
Brenda shared stories that they heard when they were young. Brenda is 16 years old and Eva, I think, is
about the same age. One story was about
an elephant that got its tail burned off by a boy trying to escape from it and
another story was about a woman whose head was so big that she couldn’t walk
and had to hide in the bushes until dark because she was so ugly. They then asked me to share a story with
them. Right away the story of Cinderella
came to my mind.
I told them about how she was an orphan and about her kind
heart. I told them about the mice
getting her dress ready for the ball (they loved to hear about all of her
animal friends) and how the evil stepsisters tore it apart and she was left
alone. I told them about the fairy
godmother and how she made Cinderella ready for the ball with the words
“Bippity Boppity Boo”. They loved to say
“Bippity Boppity Boo” with me and I imagined them imagining the pumpkin turning
into a carriage after their magical words were spoken. I told them about the prince and how they
danced at the ball. I told them about
the clock striking midnight and about the lost glass slipper. I talked about how the prince searched every
house for her and how he finally found her and lived happily ever after.
“All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you”
(Song of Songs 4:7). I want these girls
to know that they are His princesses; I want so much for them to know that they
are daughters of the King of Kings and how special they truly are. I want them to know how beautiful they are
and how the Lord delights in them. I
want them to imagine and believe that they are Cinderella because they
are. They may be orphans, but there is a
prince who loves them and will stop at nothing to rescue them. I want them know that even if sometimes they
may feel invisible or unseen by the world, they are loved and are the joy of
their Father’s heart. They are so beautiful
in His eyes; He sees neither their poverty nor their status, but He sees their
beautiful hearts. It is my mission,
called forth by the King to show them that they are His princesses and He has
come to whisk them away to His Kingdom.
