He Knows My Name

More thoughts from our trip to Swaziland...

We spent the weekend with a missionary couple in Mbabane, Michael and Robin. Together they run several homes for abandoned children in Swaziland. They were so hospitable and gracious, allowing us to stay in their guesthouse (we were strangers to them).

On Friday, Robin took me to see a few of the homes. Dan, the kids and I spent the afternoon playing with some of the children. I can't tell you how memorable it was for me. All of these children had been abandoned, and one way or another ended up at the government hospital in Mbabane. No one knew their name, their parents, their history, or even their birthdate. Many of them arrived at the hospital near death, suffering from malnutrition and illness. One child had been found "discarded" in a black garbage sack in the forest, with umbilical cord and placenta still attached.

Michael and Robin take these children in, give them a home, a name, a birthday, and the love of Jesus. You should see how they are growing and thriving; it is amazing what Love can do.

As I was playing with them, I was suddenly reminded of our church back home in California, which put on a Christmas program called The Journey of Grace. The idea is that there are no orphans with God. In it they perform a song called "He Knows My Name". I looked around me at these children, of whom only Jesus knows their real birthdate and name, and could only imagine how tenderly Jesus looks upon them. I wish I could convey to you how precious they are. I looked into their eyes, eyes that were carefully fashioned by the Hands that made the Universe, and my heart ached for them, for when they grow older and grieve their history and loss. I pray that they will find their value and identity in Jesus, for He alone can give them Hope.

And my heart aches for the many, many more children who have not been "found", who have neither a place of refuge nor Hope. As we drove back into Pretoria, I barely noticed the Christmas decorations all around me. I haven't the stomach for Christmas this year, at least not the cultural aspect of it - trees, lights, candy, gifts. I care only about the hope of redemption, hope of salvation, and hope in a loving God who knows the names of all of us.