There Must Be Something More

17 | Hebrews 13:16

"More! More! More!" the kids all chanted. Meredith sighed, smiled, and put on her sock puppets again. She hid behind the little puppet theater she had created and started to reenact the story of Noah and the Ark. The kids all enjoyed it. They kept suggesting which animal Noah should take to the ark.

I stood watching them from behind. I would occasionally provide more burgers for the kids. They love to eat; and they get hungry fast. Every time they grabbed a burger, they would hurry to Meredith and laugh and roll over.

I took a break for a minute and sat beside Chris. He was taking pictures of the kids, smiling every time the Polaroid shot out a square photo.

"How long has she been here?" I asked him.

Chris looked at me. He raised a brow. "Who?"

"Oh, Meredith," I said, "how long has she been coming here? The kids seem really fond of here. As if she was their real sister."

"Oh, she is," Chris said.

I boggled. "All these kids are her siblings? How obssessed was her mom with kids?"

Chris laughed. He set down the Polaroid beside him. He looked me in the eye sternly. He had a fatherly stare I've missed from my dad.

"Not biological siblings!" He said. "You know, family isn't found in the blood. It's found in the bond. And these kids' bond with her is closer than a sea slug on a wall!"

I laughed. "You kinda talk like her."

"Well, I consider her to be my sister too," he said.

I exhaled, turned my gaze back to Meredith and the kids. I watched as she talked and laughed with them. She started giving out the sock puppets to the kids. I quickly ran over to help. The kids all snatched them as if they were gold treasure. They all started to pretend wrestle with the sock puppets. Meredith was laughing. She started to join them. I really didn't know what to do, so I just watched.

And then Meredith said, "Charlie! Don't be shy! Join us!"

I boggled. "Me?"

"Is there any more Charlie in this place?" she said, giggling. I didn't think she'd take no for an answer, so I gave in. I squeezed in with her and the kids. I took a sock puppet, and before I could decide what to do with it, a kid opened his cat sock puppet's mouth and swallowed mine. Meredith and the kids howled with laughter, and started to join as well.

And I did have fun. Whether it was simply from being with the kids or it was the act of kindness. I was guessing both. But mostly the second one.

We were done around eight in the evening. As we loaded the leftover stuff we cleaned up, I asked Meredith a curious question that's been running through my mind for a few short hours.

"How?" I asked, turning to her beside me. The faint white light from a nearby factory sent a small ray across her face. Her brown eyes looked lighter, it was as if though they were glowing. She did not blink them. She looked at me, waited for me to elaborate my question.

"How?" she asked.

"How did you meet them? Here. Why are you here? Why do you do all of this?"

She thought about it for almost a minute. And then her eyes grew wide. I knew she got her answer. 

"I was doing my devotional and got a really uplifting verse out of it," she started. 

"What's a devotional?"

"A devotional is a daily reading and meditating on God's Word. It's God's Word for you for the day. You have to do it or else you won't have a weapon against the evil one," she explained.

I did not understand half of it. What I did understand was that it was God's Word for her for the day.

She continued, "On my devotional that day, God gave me an interesting verse," she said, "it's in Hebrews chapter thirteen, verse sixteen: And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

I looked at her, waited for the words to sink in.

"And I just knew God wanted me to help people in need," she explained, "I was walking home from school that day and I heard excited squealing. And so I looked around--and there it was--the Amazing Grace Home for Children! It just happened to be on the shortcut I took that day! And then the Holy Spirit spoke to me. It was them. They needed my help. And God is sending me! 

"I had doubts at first. I mean, I can't just barge into a children's home and help! What if they don't need my help? What if they don't like a teenage girl barging into someone else's business?"

No one does, I thought.

Then she grinned, and her smile was brighter than the small ray of light from the factory building.

"But then I thought: Why am I questioning God? He has control over the entire universe. And He sees everyone and everything. He knows our deepest desires and wants. He knows what's best for us"--she paused, looked at me--"He knows what we need. And He was telling me at that moment that these kids need me."

I looked at her, my breath at a pause.

"So I barged in there. And to my surprise, the kids all tackled me into a big hug!" she said enthusiastically. "They were grinning, laughing. They said they've always prayed for a visitor! No one has visited them for years!"

"Why?" I asked.

"All their parents abandoned them. And their relatives don't seem to want them," she explained. "So you see? We don't really know what the future holds! But God does. And if He tells you to do something, then He knows it's the best and right thing to do. I could never forget how happy I was helping out and making new friends. Don't you just love it when you obey the Lord?"

I smiled awkwardly. "I don't know... I've never done it."

She looked at me. She smiled. "You actually did."

I looked at her. "Huh?"

"The sticky note Bible verse!" She said. "You followed the Lord's Word for you for the day. You made the most of the opportunity. You just joined me to take care of a bunch of kids you don't know! You just played sock puppets!"

I smiled.

She looked at me, her eyes twinkled. She asked the question again. "Don't you just love it when you obey the Lord?"

I looked out the window. The trees lined up like lamp posts by the sidewalk. It should've been a clear, normal night.

But to me it was special, significant.

I smiled. "Yes. Yes, I do."