Saturday night Ashley, Whitney, Abbie, and I packed a bag, loaded up some sleeping bags and went to the havens to work the night shift with the aunties! Little did we know those sleeping bags would never be touched. We got there around 7 Saturday evening and immediately started feeding crying babies. We were in Haven 1 where the little babies live so there were always plenty of hungry, dirty, or tired babies. Ba Cecelia, the head auntie, talked to us for a little bit and told us that basically the aunties just feed babies all night long. When one cries they feed them. If they’re dirty they change them. They also do laundry all night long. Sure enough, this went on ALL night. Just in the first few hours I had been spit up on dozens of times and peed on. At one point, probably around 10 or 11, most of the babies were asleep so that was when we could lay down until a baby cried. Then we would get up and feed them. It was usually a nonstop rotation of a baby crying. As soon as I would put one down and start to fall asleep in my little chair another baby would cry. At about 3:30 in the morning I started to fall asleep and got maybe 45 minutes of sleep until all the babies started crying…we found out that a day at the havens starts at 4:30. Bright and early. The aunties were up bathing baby after baby, getting them into clean clothes and putting them in bed so we could come get them and feed them. Some aunties were cooking breakfast while others were cleaning the haven. This went on for a few hours until finally all the babies were clean and fed! In Haven 1 there are about 10 babies who are too old for milk so around 7 it was time to feed some of the older babies. We got them all at the table and fed each of them a bowl of porridge. Then the aunties took them back to clean them and put them in their beds. By breakfast I had managed to get peed on another time and of course lots more spit up. After breakfast time we left Haven 1 and went to Haven 2 where the toddlers live. I can’t even imagine what it would’ve been like staying there over night. It was bath time in Haven 2 and they were getting some of the kids ready for church! They take about half of the kids in that haven to church every week so around 9 o’clock we loaded up the van and drove down the road to the Johnson auditorium. Ashley, Whitney, Abbie, and I all sat on a row with 6 toddlers. Let me tell you, it was crazy. We were crammed and dripping with sweat because it was so hot, and having a kid on your lap makes it ten times hotter (and not having air conditioner). The kids slowly got cranky and tired, and I was so tired…after a night of no sleep I honestly wasn’t really in the mood to sit through a church service with a bunch of toddlers. We took them out about half way through to do a kids class with them which helped with all the heat and crankiness, and then when it was over we loaded back up in the van and went home to the Havens!
After staying EIGHTEEN HOURS in the Havens I have a much bigger appreciation for the aunties. I met a few aunties, Betty, Violet, and Katherine, and got to talk to them a little bit. Betty was the only one that spoke English so we talked a lot about what she did there. She works the night shift every night, 5 pm to 7 am. She lives at the havens and she’s been doing it for a year. She’s single and has a daughter who lives at home with her parents. She doesn’t work any other jobs because she sleeps all day long. Violet doesn’t speak English but I sat down and did laundry with her one time and I could tell she was so appreciative of me helping her. She kept saying my name and “thank you” over and over again because those were the only words she knew how to say. In Haven 2 we got to talk to the auntie, Jennifer, and she was so glad that we were there to go to church with them.
These aunties have the hearts of a servant. A new mom always complains about not getting sleep because their one baby keeps them up. These aunties take care of 30 babies all night long. They change tons of diapers, they make tons of bottles, and they bath every baby. They do laundry for 30 kids, not 1 or 2 or 3. They are literally on their hands and knees scrubbing the floors every day. They don’t take their job lightly. They are probably always covered in spit up, pee, and poop. But they do it with a smile on their face and a joyful attitude. They were singing while doing laundry and laughing while feeding the older kids. They truly enjoy their job. I honestly believe that not many people could do what these aunties do. This isn’t a job that you could do even if you hate it. These aunties have to love their job and love the babies that they’re taking care of. They put everything they have into giving these orphans a good life. They serve selflessly and they love every baby as Christ loves us. A day in the life of an auntie was not east. It’s a dirty job but they do it willingly. It struck me that they are an example of God’s love for us. Compared to Him we’re dirty and needy; we fight him and don’t usually appreciate what he’s doing for us. We’re always crying out to Him for more, more, more. But He gives willingly. He holds us when we’re crying, he feeds us when we’re hungry, he comforts us when we’re needy. He doesn’t leave us in the dark to grow on our own. He’s with us from the very beginning helping us every step of the way. Every baby in the Havens has lost their mother and some have lost their father, but because of these aunties they are being loved and cared for and taken care of. Some of the aunties even have families of their own but they’re willing to give up everything for these babies. “Make me a servant, Lord make me like you.” These aunties are definitely servants just like Christ, and that’s the type of person I want to be; down doing the dirty work with a smile on my face and filled with love and joy.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” James 1:27
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