I saw a great picture today… but by the time I got back there with my camera, it was already too late... it was a picture that made me laugh, be sad and pensive all at the same time...

I can’t send you the photo, but I will try and paint you a picture...

There are a group of street kids who live at the main intersection nearest to our home... You can always find them... day or night... rain or shine...  Sometimes, dodging traffic, they “clean” your windshield, hoping for a coin...  Their glazed, reddened eyes; overpowering glue or alcohol breath and their erratic movements point to where that coin will probably go... During cold spells you might find them sleeping, lined up in a row, under cardboard, plastic or maybe an old sheet.  Often you’ll see them sitting around on the grassy median – their glue bottles held up to their nose...

Today, I saw one of the boys sleeping, sprawled out on the grass...  About a foot away from him, sprawled out on his back, all four feet stretched up in the air, was his big, white dog... both of them completely oblivious to the hustle and bustle of busy traffic right beside them... 

Maybe you had to see it...  I thought the dog was hilarious... but to think of so many kids who day after day, week after week and month after month are so blinded, trapped on the streets... statistics say many will never change... quite a few will lose their lives... if they don’t lose their lives – they usually lose everything else – family, respect, dignity, hope... the list goes on...

In the midst of such darkness, sadness, hopelessness – there is this crazy dog... totally at home, happy as any regular pet pampered in some house... there isn’t a leash or wall to enclose him...  once a stray, he has made this group of “strays” his family...

It is actually quite common to see groups of street kids with their “pet”... It doesn’t matter if their own stomachs are still growling, they will share their scraps with their dog...  he is part of their family...  They look after him... he looks after them...  biting at the police when they come to extort or abuse...

The thought of the love between them all is “warm and fuzzy”... but it also breaks my heart... because that relationship with the warm, fuzzy dog is probably the closest thing to love they know... 

There are a couple lines of a song that I heard when I was a kid that always comes back to me... “Oh I love to be loved... and I hate to be hated... I like to be liked – at least tolerated... and everyone that I know feels that way too...”  

Marco always says... “We need to be their family.”  A 9 – 5, routine schedule of time or events won’t touch their hearts... a distant, standoffish attitude won’t give us the opportunity to share God’s love and His message of hope with them... but walking along side of them... showing them love, care and respect might just soften their calloused, scarred hearts so that they will respect us enough to listen to us...  Think about how Jesus lived... he had no need to touch the ostracized lepers in order to heal them... but he did... He called the heavy burdened, lonely lady who had been sick for 12 years “Daughter”, crossing the lake looking for some peace and quiet he found thousands of people waiting, hoping for healing, his miraculous touch – and he was  “filled with compassion for them”...

Where is our love, our compassion???  ... that dog-like love... that doesn’t see the dirt, scars or “status”... that simply shares his steadfast love with his “family”...  A dog doesn’t worry about time, schedule, what he’s going to get in return... he just loves...  I know I’m sometimes “racing around” when I really need to just slow down and “be”...

So many who need to know God’s love... not a message ABOUT his love... but rather his LOVE... through US... his hands and feet on earth... These people aren’t just in dirty clothes, living in an intersection of a city... they also can be found wearing 3 piece suits... or living in the house right beside us...

Lord... help my heart to overflow with your love – so that those who come across my path would see (and feel) YOU in me...

And all of that just from a silly dog sleeping on his back beside his best friend!!!

Thank you for “looking at my picture” that I didn’t catch on camera...

Have a great day...

Love, Corina (for Marco... Keiden and Marlee!!!!)

P.S.  Please pray for our little Marlee... she caught bronquitis... she is a little trooper and doesn’t complain at all... but its taking a while to clear up... please pray that she will soon get over this completely...

Also... please pray for our mother’s day celebration this Wednesday... (Mother’s day here is always on the 27th of May...)  We try and do something really special for our girls... we are doing a winter theme this year  (thanks Jess for your great idea... and really wish you were here....)  so our girls are going to experience their first winter afternoon in their lives! Our desire, in all the time, energy and money invested in this event, is that our girls will feel loved, valued, cared for... and leave our place with boosted spirits and encouraged hearts to face the struggles and heavy burdens they have to carry...