Showtime at Sparrow

This weekend was a busy one. On Friday morning, we hosted 15 teenage girls at the guesthouse for a beauty party. They had a blast painting their nails, putting on make-up, and dancing around to the sounds of High School Musical 2. Though it has taken almost two months to build a relationship with these girls, the time and energy was well spent. As we spent time beautifying outward appearances, our conversations revealed the beauty inside each girl. Our friendships with these girls have given them confidence in their identities as daughters of the King. They no longer resist our hugs or make funny faces when we tell them we love them. Our prayer as we prepare to depart is that they would realize that the love we show them is not our love, but Christ’s love in us. That is our prayer not just for the teenage girls, but for every child, caregiver, and adult we have met during our stay.

Saturday night, Sparrow’s talent kids debuted in “Spotlight on Sparrow.” The kids worked on their performances for two weeks, and the result was a wide array of singing and dancing that delighted the house mothers and the other kids. Again, all that was required on our part was to affirm within these kids that they are special, and the kids rose up with confidence, beaming as they took the stage. The following afternoon, the kids did an abbreviated performance in the hospice for the patients. This time, it was not about building up the kids, but about showering the patients with love. As we were setting up for the talent show, one of the patients asked what was happening. We told her the kids were going to be singing and dancing, to which she replied, “Oh, what a nice surprise.” As she watched the kids perform, her glowing face said it all: people rarely take time to think about my pleasure. We are not nurses or doctors by trade, but we can help people to enjoy the life that they are able to live.

With only five days left at Sparrow, we are making the most of our last moments here with the people we have grown to care about. We feel a sense of urgency to say our last thoughts, but also realize that for everything there is a season.