Pulling Out a sliver brings the Kingdom, on the border...

 There are kids everywhere.  Before I arrived at the "Welcome to Cambodia" entrance, I hung out with some of the kids I saw. As I crossed under the border I met a little boy named 'Aluta' and I took a picture with him, but quickly realized he was not alone. So then I stopped and attempted to speak my limited Cambodian and took another picture with him and some of his friends.  Just after I had began to walk away this young boy in the back right of the photo started crying. I felt vulnerable, I had not had much experience at the border, only being my 2nd time there and not knowing what was really happening or where these kids were from, or who was watching. I was so chaotic. But before I could leave that moment, with that little boys tears in his eyes, I stopped and asked what was wrong.

The woman next to him said in mixed Thai/Cambodian, "His foot was hurting."

So my thoughts at that moment were: do I engage? do I take the time to investigate? Selfishly, I thought: what's it going to require of me?" BUT then that caused me to ask the question in my mind: what is my point of being here? So in my spirit I asked the Lord, "Why am I here?" That question allowed me to be open to the Holy Spirit's response: "To love my creation. This little boy is one I love. Will you ...

...love Him as I do?" So, it didn't take long, but being open like that, and not having much to give, I ventured back to investigate that little boy's foot pain.

I saw it right away. A little piece of wood combined with dirt and whatever else he had picked up shoeless on the streets at the border had become a sliver close to the ball of his foot.

I didn't have much. Anti-bacterial wipes and I remembered some safety pins I had in my pencil case. BUT I felt like God had planned it all. As I knelt there with 6-10 children and some adults staring over us, I had beads of sweat and tears running down my face realizing this little boy hadn't even had someone help him get this sliver out. Then thinking about all the other needs of these children. I felt like this what Jesus meant when he says to Peter, "Take care of my sheep." Together, as a team, the little boy and I got the sliver out. As I hugged the kids and the adults there and walked away, I felt like it would not be the last time I would see them...

All I knew is that I had to renew my passport, so I had to leave the country. The Lord knew I would be at the border. I had to be at the border, and I knew the Lord was already there. So I just waited. I looked for His leadings and used what I had, which wasn't much.  But it was enough to show his Love. Thank you Lord for blessing me.