Bambi and Shilo

Well, the second week of camp is officially over! I got to experience camp through the eyes of a volunteer, and I learned a lot of lessons. Being a volunteer is definitely a lot of work, and to think that the translator’s job is even harder has grown a whole new respect for them in my heart. When I agreed to be a volunteer for the week, I had no idea what I was signing up for. The reality that a volunteer spends twelve hours a day joined at the hip to their orphan buddy for four days doesn’t hit home until you have experienced it yourself. I was so surprised at how exhausted I felt at the end of each day! Though it was tedious at times to not be allowed to leave Bambi’s side, it was such a rewarding experience. I was so blessed to spend time with Bambi and Shilo, and hopefully impacted them for Christ in a big way.

Bambi was a very interesting buddy to have because of her continual silence. She rarely spoke and Shilo and I struggled to understand her and her capabilities. At times she would stare at Shilo with a blank stare when she asked her to do something, and at others she would hop right to the task at hand as if it was no biggie. During the first couple days I tried really hard to get Bambi to speak to me, but she did not respond to me or Shilo’s gentle promptings to say something…. anything. When I realized that we weren’t going to get anywhere in the speech department, I shifted my focus to showing her the physical affection that she most likely misses out on at the orphanage. I gave her lots of hugs as well, as held her hand whenever we walked places, and she would glow with happiness. It was really precious how she would light up whenever Shilo and I would each take a hand and giggle as we walked. Though we were not able to talk about whether or not she was enjoying camp, the joy was evident on her face, and I know that she was happy for the few days that she was with us. I was so blessed to be able to be a part of her life during this last week, and really got to know Shilo through our mutual interest in Bambi’s life.

After Shilo arrived it didn’t take long to reach the conclusion that she was going to have a long week. She was very high maintenance, hard to please, and definitely NOT the ideal translator. When she complained about Natalie’s Chinese skills I felt sick… I knew that I would eventually meet a problem-translator like her, but I honestly didn’t expect it to be so soon! When Sam asked me to be her volunteer I was less than excited about the prospects… I expected it to be something of a nightmare. But God extends grace to those who are in need and I was definitely in need! By His mercy she was transformed in just a couple days from a snobby college student to a kind and compassionate big sister. She had been an only child her entire life, so this was her first experience caring for someone else. She learned how to be a good care-taker in a very short time and truly came to love Bambi. She would speak so gently to her and lovingly do anything to make Bambi comfortable. Then, on Wednesday we went to the mall to buy Bambi a blouse, and Shilo starting asking me about my faith. She asked all kinds of questions about Jesus, heaven, and what I thought about other religions. She had attended a Bible study for a time, so she had a lot of mature questions to ask. It was so exciting to get an opportunity to share Biblical truths with her and gently point her in the right direction. It was very touching when, at the end of the week, Shilo explained to me that the greatest impact this week’s camp had had on her was how everyone here was a “good Christian,” as she put it. She had met so many people at her university who claimed to be Christ-followers but were really only seeking glory for themselves, so when she saw the believers at camp serving Christ and loving Him with their actions she was deeply moved. On Friday night I wrote her a letter thanking her for her wonderful service at camp and in it I wrote, “I will continue to pray that you make that decision we talked about…” Later she came to me and said that maybe she would make the decision to follow Christ soon. I pray to God that she will come to the saving knowledge of His grace and that I will see her again one day in heaven.

I am so grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to plant seeds of Christ’s hope and love in Shilo and Bambi’s hearts. They are such beautiful girls and I am confident that I will see them again one day. Please be praying for both of them as the Holy Spirit works in their hearts in the upcoming months and hopefully draws them to Himself!