Recently someone alluded to the fact that our children look "too good," that maybe their clothing is "too nice." I was struck by the irony of that statement.
Would we really want to go back to that first meeting in July of 2013 when they were so dirty, so desperate, so hopeless?
Would we really want to go back to the summer of 2014 as my heart broke watching Phebe lick the wrapper of a snack cake over and over and over knowing that one little snack might be all she would eat that day - or perhaps for days to come?
Or would we really want to go back to last year as Cesnel clung to me, crying, as I prepared to leave again, and I promised him through my own tears, "Everything will be okay. It will. I don't know how. But God knows."
Would we really want to go back to goodbyes that looked like this?
To those who have been with us through this entire journey, you know the struggle. You know where the children were. You've seen the process. You've heard the heart-breaking stories. And you've born witness to the beauty of waiting for God and His timing.
Where we are today isn't just about cleanliness or new clothing or plenty of food or a safe place to sleep or a family to call your own. It's about resting in the faithfulness of our Good Father who is with us in the darkest moments, the God we can so clearly see when we look back over the road behind us. . .
because in looking back, we can look forward.
On Saturday, thanks to a generous one-time donation from a caring individual, the children were able to experience the beauty of their own country and just be kids - all of them. Together.
The day began early in the morning and lasted almost until dinnertime. It was a day none of us will forget.
And on days like Saturday, days that are so picture perfect, I think it's important to remember where God has brought us from, and to look ahead, knowing that the same God who was with us in the darkest times will continue to lead, to guide, to direct as we wait on Him.
The best days are still ahead.
“For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!”