Tonight I may find the mattress a bit uncomfortable though.
We spent a portion of this evening listening to a young woman who is tirelessly devoting a portion of her life to sleep - not her own - the sleep of orphans in the nation of Moldova.
Moldova is the poorest country in Europe. The average income is 30 dollars a month. It's so poor many parents leave the country seeking work elsewhere. In the process they routinely leave their children too. Some promise to come back...most never do.
I lost my parents when I was a teenager...it was hard, but there were relatives to fill the gap...there was always a bed for me.
That's not the case in Moldova.
A number of groups and individuals are working to build and operate orphanages for thousands of these kids. Their futures are not bright. Many have lived their lives in institutions and are not prepared for the harsh realities they will face at an all too early age. Many will confront those realities alone and the cycle of poverty will continue.
People like the young woman we spoke with tonight are hoping that some of those kids will at least come to know they have God to lean upon in the years ahead. She's also hoping the kids will have beds to sleep in.
Simple beds. Beds you and I would probably complain about or reject as completely inadequate.
I will crawl into bed tonight and realize what a soft life I live.
The young woman we spoke with tonight quit her job - a rather prominent position - because she heard about the Moldova orphans and in the process heard the call of God asking her to help...to help these abandoned children sleep.
She put together a very simple program where the kids themselves build bed frames. They're outfitted with mattresses of foam rubber.
The program is called Sweet Sleep.
I had to mention it here otherwise I don't think I could have slept tonight.
SweetSleep.org...sleep on it.
When you lie down, you will not be afraid. When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. - Proverbs 3:24
