Featured Story

April / June 2005

Resting In His Arms
A volunteer from England shares how worship bonded her with our children in the Philippines

Written by Becky Hayward, who volunteered at the Arms of Love Children's Home in the Philippines in January 2005.

I have just returned to England after experiencing five weeks living and working in the Philippines at the Arms of Love home in Bohol. It was fantastic to see God at work and living in the lives of the children. Having never left Europe before, I was excited and nervous about the journey ahead.

As I was sat on the plane pondering the upcoming experience, I found that I was surrounded by several young children, none of whom appeared to speak English. So I began to smile, and they responded with joy on their faces! As I traveled, this continued to be my experience and I was reminded that a smile communicates a happiness and warmth which is international and crosses all language and cultural barriers.

On my first day in the children's home I was greeted by faces eager to see and hear about me and about the country I came from. The children were keen to hear all about my family and life in England -- but also wanted me to know about them! Each child had an individual story of a past containing pain and abandonment, but meeting them now this was not what I saw -- I saw children who knew a father God who loved them.

I recall a conversation with Desiree and Anzelie ... as we began discussing our relationship with God, I expressed a love of worship and songs drawing me to the heart of God. Both girls knew this closeness and desire to worship God. We shared how through worship we had known God's closeness in the difficult times.

This theme of worship continued to affect me and created a special unity among myself and the children. One particular day I remember observing Ruben as he sat playing worship songs. I joined him and we worshipped together. Ruben spoke to me with very few English words but as we worshipped we were able to communicate.

In the evenings a pattern emerged whereby I would sit with the children and worship with them. Hearing their songs brought tears to my eyes -- so beautiful, not in a tuneful sense but immensely moving as they sang in complete abandonment. These children have each had a clear encounter with our Father God and love to worship Him, resting in His arms of love.

As I worked alongside the social worker in the home, I had the opportunity to speak individually with each child. In these times I was able to discuss with them the relevance of their faith in all aspects of their lives. As we talked, a depth of relationship was formed between many of us. We shared Scripture and personal experiences with each other. It emphasized to me that in our Western culture, we often forget how much we can learn from our children about our own spirituality.

On the final day I spent with the children we worshipped together and shared high-lights of our time together. The children thanked me for worshipping with them, listening to them and encouraging them in their relationships with God.

These same children that were thanking me had been able to teach me more than they could ever realize. They instilled in me a longing to experience worship as they do, to be abandoned in worship, lost in the presence of God.

As I returned to England I was caused to consider the simplicity of communicating with a smile and to remember the joy a relationship with Christ can bring ... when we learn that He is the reason for our existence and learn to rest in His presence.