The Earth is His: Hogar de los Niños

Sandi, Brandy, and me with Pedro and a shy Nahuel.

After my first day at El Hogar de los Niños, which was Tuesday, I decided to walk part of the way home instead of taking a bus or subte (that’s what the subway is called here) the whole way. During my 25 block walk, I listened to a song called “The Earth is Yours” also by Gungor. I am one of those girls who listens to a song on repeat until I can’t listen to it anymore.
(Can you tell I am on a Gungor kick these days?)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4EPnM62O8A

I think my mind comes alive as I listen to music and I feel like God speaks to me often through song. I liked sharing “Beautiful Things” and the thoughts that it provoked in me a few posts ago…so I thought I’d give it another go.

Back to my walk home from the children’s home the other night…as I walked and listened, I people watched. I thought about the stern faces of people rushing past me. I thought about the homeless man with his dog, pleading for a few pesos. I thought about the reckless taxi drivers and the strangers I had been forced to be pressed against on the overstuffed subte. And I thought about the boys at the children’s home who I am just beginning to get to know and already love. I have only been here, in Buenos Aires for a little over 3 weeks now and already my heart for this place and those people has begun to be changed.

A halfway crowded and muy calor Subte...yep they pack em in like sardines. During rush hour there is literally no room to breathe. Eeek.

The neighborhood where I work that the children's home.

The lyrics to “The Earth is Yours” include:

“And now, it’s rising from the ground, hear us crying out…Holy holy, Holy holy Lord…the earth is yours.” Psalm 65:5-8 is a beautiful picture of what I think this song is trying to depict too.

Psalm 65:5-8

New Living Translation (NLT)

5 You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,

O God our savior.

You are the hope of everyone on earth,

even those who sail on distant seas.

6 You formed the mountains by your power

and armed yourself with mighty strength.

7 You quieted the raging oceans

with their pounding waves

and silenced the shouting of the nations.

8 Those who live at the ends of the earth

stand in awe of your wonders.

From where the sun rises to where it sets,

you inspire shouts of joy.

Not only is the earth with its trees and oceans His, but we…THEY are His as well. I know that seems like a no brainer, but for me it was a beautiful and much needed revelation on Tuesday night. When I arrived in Buenos Aires, I was terrified. I quickly learned that I am not a big city girl and after hearing about some sort of scary safety issues, I walked with my teeth clenched, my eyes hard, and with my hands tightly gripping my belongings at all times. I didn’t want to be the naïve one that got robbed or taken advantage of. I was a little bit angry at, scared of, and assumed the worst of people that I did not even know. As I walked and listened Tuesday night, my hardened and cautious heart slowly began to soften toward the porteños de Buenos Aires. I locked eyes with several strangers and could not help but flash big smiles in their direction...(I think it startled the majority of them). I feel like it is easy for me to subconsciously think about and pray to my Jesus or the Jesus of the United States. But the ENTIRE EARTH belongs to Him. Every person that I have encountered here, no matter their current situation, is a child of the same God that I worship. We all deeply desire and are crying out to the same God, whether we know it or not. I so quickly forget, as I worry about my own well being, that my existence here on His earth is for the sole purpose of living a life that glorifies Him, sharing Him with others.

Brandy and me with one my favorite niños, Nahuel. Nahuel is 13 and gave me a sweet bracelet today!

SO, I am praying that God will use my time with the boys…who are more like teenagers than children…at El Hogar de Los Niños to bring glory to himself and that he will continue to soften my heart toward every porteño that I come into contact with during the rest of my time in B.A. I'm seriously blessed to be here.

Sending love from rainy Buenos Aires,
Katy