A Prayer Warrior – Laika
Today I want to circle Laika in prayer! This sweet and fun girl has a special place in my heart too! She is such a sweetheart, honestly, her heart is overflowing with compassion and love for others! I love how she cares for her siblings! She definitely challenges me by the way she loves others, humbly and selflessly through service and compassion. Besides having a huge loving heart, this girl is one little goofball! She is so funny and this summer we took lots of silly pictures together! She loves to have fun and hang out with her brothers and sisters – taking photos, playing games, singing songs. She loves to sing and praise Jesus and it is such a joy to see. Her and her sister Naomie are going to take this world by storm for the Lord! I know that God is and will continue doing great things through their lives as they offer them humbly to the Lord in obedience. Laika, I think, will also grow to be a great prayer warrior for others. Her and her sisters already love to pray and I love how the orphanage mamas have been teaching them more and more about prayer! These mamas have hearts full of love and open to calling of the Lord, serving these orphans by loving and caring for them. And most importantly, they have been teaching these precious kids about Jesus, they’ve been singing praises with them, they’ve been reading the Bible with them, and they’ve been teaching them to pray.
Here is one sweet story from my summer in the Mole that gives a glimpse into this:
This summer was a crazy, amazing adventure and God did so much and He taught me so much through my time in Haiti. I came to love and be loved by so many wonderful, beautiful people. And as the summer came to a close I found it difficult to say goodbyes, even if it may have been only for a while, these goodbyes hurt my heart. Mostly, I think I was sad to leave behind these people I loved, not that I didn’t trust God to keep working in their lives but I wasn’t so sure I could live without them. So on one of my last days I was spending time in the orphanage with all those beautiful children and I started to cry. I tried to keep it in but slowly a few tears slipped out of my eyes. And of course all the children couldn’t understand why I was sad and they were concerned to see a friend crying. They all asked questions of me and I responded the best I could in my limited Creole, but soon they turned to one of the mamas to ask her. And she spoke what was on my heart, that I was sad to leave people I loved and I was sad that friends were leaving (teams travelling to different villages that last week). She told them to prayer for me. And sweet Laika was right there, front and center and right in my face, trying to figure it out, trying to understand why I would cry and trying to make me smile by being silly. After the mama’s suggestion to pray, she eagerly stepped up to pray for me. She prayed that God would comfort me, that I would not be sad. After she prayed she wiped some of my tears away, gave me a kiss on the check, and then flashed one of her big, beautiful smiles. It was seriously one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done. And of course, I almost lost it all over again (but thankfully I didn’t)! Then all the other kids wanted to follow in her example and one by one they prayed for me and hugged me and smiled, laughed, and acted silly all to help make me feel better.
And, that’s why I know that Laika will be a great leader, she will be a great prayer warrior for God with her compassionate and caring heart. I pray that she will continue to grow in the Lord, that He will place people and situations in her life to help her grow in her faith. I pray that she will always keep her heart open to the hurt and broken, that she will have compassion and empathy to care for those that are hurting and in need of love. I pray that God will open her eyes to the hurt around her, that He’ll place people in her path for her to love and comfort and help point them to the ultimate Healer and Comforter. I pray that she will not allow the world or circumstances in her life to harden her heart but she’ll allow her heart to break for what breaks God’s heart. I pray that she will realize and always remember that there are others watching her life, that she will help lead them in the way of the Lord. I pray that God uses her to be a light and an example to those around her, especially to her younger siblings.
I pray she won’t lose her honesty, her ability to honestly and gently ask the hard questions of others. I pray she won’t be afraid to continue to be right there for people, right in their lives, to talk honestly about their lives and thoughts with love and compassion. And I pray that Laika will grow in prayer, that she’ll realize the power of communicating with her God and Savior, with her Father in heaven. I pray she knows that He is always there for her, with open arms and listening ears, and wants nothing more than to be in relationship with her. I pray she will continue to cover those around her in prayer, that she’ll circle them in big, bold prayers always believing and hoping for the miracle God can provide. I pray she trusts the Lord to do big things in her life and through the lives of others and that she will joyfully look for those answered prayers and use them as an opportunity to praise God. I pray that as she comes alongside others in love and prayer, that there will be those who will come alongside her, to support and encourage her. I pray that God will provide people to mentor her in her faith and also that He will provide sponsors to financial partner with her to support and care for her. Laika has room for 8 sponsors, 8 people or groups to become a part of her family tree! Please check out her sponsorship page and prayerfully consider if you could help support this sweet girl: