Santo, Santo, Santo...

The students down here are on spring break for 2 weeks.  Nieves and I thought it’d be a great idea to have a youth cleaning day at the orphanage.  Things started early yesterday morning as I was getting ready to leave.  Antu had been talking about how excited she was to go work at the orphanage.  I was going to have her come later, but she woke up extra early and insisted that she had to go with me.  She quickly ran to get dressed, grab her bike, dog, fruit snacks, blankie, all the essentials for an effective work day. As we were heading to the orphanage, she kept saying something in Spanish, “santo, santo, santo, sldkjf;alsdkjf;...” (couldn’t make out the rest).  I asked her what she was saying...she said, “santo, santo, santo, daddy.”  I didn’t put two and two together until she told me it had to do with my guitar.  Ah, she was singing one of the worship songs we sing.  Santo, is spanish for “holy”...and the chorus of the song sings, “singing holy, holy, holy is the Lord.”  Antu asked me if we could sing that song...so thus started our day filled with singing, “holy, holy, holy is the Lord.”

The plan was to clean the orphanage and prepare it for the missions team that is coming next week to paint the facility.  About 15 of us showed up for our work day.  We started off with a sweet time of worship and devotional, which of course, included Ayantu’s favorite song.

After about 4 hours of work, all the floors had been swept, mopped, scrapped, trashed picked up, supplies arranged neatly and windows washed.  Having been a youth pastor for so many years, it was such great joy to watch all of these young people, faithfully, willingly and humbly serving the Lord.  We all enjoyed ourselves so much, we are going to have another work party next week to prime the walls and ceilings for paint.

Throughout the rest of the day, I kept thinking about that moment with my daughter in the truck, singing “holy, holy, holy is the Lord” over and over and over again.  It reminded me of what John wrote in the book of Revelation...

“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within.  And they DO NOT REST day or night, saying; Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come” (Revelation 4:8)!

 How glorious that day will be, when we for all eternity...will be singing, “holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.”

That afternoon, we called my cousin Becky, who was leading worship, and Antu asked her if we could sing her (Antu’s) song again at church.  Last night, as we were up there, leading worship, singing out to the Lord, I looked back and I saw my precious 3 year old, lifting her hands and singing with all her heart...”holy, holy, holy, is the Lord!” It was truly a blessed and wonderful day....thank you Jesus!

After a long hard, dirty work day...Antu insisted she had to wash her bike...