make some tea and write a story: five minutes friday: ocean

I've never really seen the ocean.

But the moment i saw the word, i wanted to translate this one here. Or at least tell that story. Maybe it's cheating. Whatever. I just love it and it's still in my head, yes...
It's a snapshot from my dear friend & speech therapist, who works with autistic children.

So, we were drawing a whale. And he thought that the fountain on its head means explosion. He thought the whale was hurt and he started crying. I explained to him that it's a fountain, that the whale splashes water on himself, when it's hot.
He asked - What if the water runs out?
I said the water in the ocean will not run out.
But he asked again and again, getting anxious - What if the water runs out???
I said - If the water runs out, I will pour some more.
And he calmed down, smiled, and continued drawing.

Do you know what will happen if the ocean of grace runs out? God will pour some more!

* end of five minutes here. see, i'm still going to cheat*

I was asked to edit prayer cards for our camp with special needs & orphan children.
And, of course, I was peeking at the lists of teams and housing. With some of the children so challenged that nobody would ever dare to send them to any camp before, and with only as many volunteers, probably, as it was possible to afford and host.

It seems I was reading every second kid "needs attention", "need special attention", "needs VERY special attention" and "this camp would be a chance to give this child ATTENTION they lack so much in an orphanage"
And i can't help but add similar words about the kids from the orphanage I know, who don't have any obvious special needs, because they all still need good undivided attention!

Remembering last summer: simultaneously having to help a girl with cerebral palsy walk, to catch a kid with ADHD who was running back to the sea to swim, to figure out out why one kid was crying, another refused to cooperate, and yet another I had no idea where she was because she didn't make any trouble and I often overlooked her... while on the way to make them all take showers before dinner starts and making sure they have something to wear that is not wet and smelly and that some lovely new volunteer is not feeding them peanuts and sweets... how in the world was I going to give them good quality attention they needed and give them something about Jesus that would stay with them after camp?

As I read about their dreams and expectation, knowing that each one of them, special needs or not, orphans or not - are endless, precious, restles, hungry attention needing souls... I wonder what their experience in the camp will be, for real, as I can't expect or even dream I can possibly fulfill those needs, had I even just one kid for the whole week of camp to care for.

And yet we're still going to do that crazy thing all over again.

That is when I need to be reminded about the unseen unlimited ocean of grace. And if i can't even imagine - like the boy at my friend's work couldn't imagine that the water in the ocean will not run out - at least know that God will pour some more.

To be calmed with that. And continue drawing...