Tina’s Group at Orphanage #24

The teachers reading this will understand what I am about to say. You know that one class at school that you hope you don’t get because it is the difficult class? Well, that was my group this week. My girls were wonderful but my boys were disrespectful to not only me, but my God. They were disinterested and mocked me and my translator, Vusala. God gave me the perfect translator. She was the most experienced and was such an encourager. She told me they were testing me. I was very disheartened after the first day because all the other classes were loving and accepting. Then I remembered the study in James which I am doing and the passage I memorized just before I left for Russia. James 1 says;

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

These scriptures were what I held on to throughout the week and I saw God at work. He transformed my kids into an accepting and kind group by the end of the week, not as loving as the other groups but a drastic improvement. I grew from four children to all twelve (plus the teacher, Leza) attending and they heard the word of God. Miraculously, they would sit quietly while I gave my testimony, my call to Russia, the resurrection story and during my translator’s testimony, who came from a strong Muslim background. By the last day they allowed me to pray for them. The boys also allowed me to take a picture with them and they gave me a newspaper as a gift which I will cherish always. One boy even gave me a hug.

God gave me a love for them that wasn’t my own and the wisdom needed to know what to say and not to say and how to say it. Our God is an awesome and powerful God and He is so faithful!

– Tina Gore, Eastern Hills Baptist Church