Lovin' the Littles

Imagine a summer for your kids without camps, VBS, swimming lessons, or English speaking friends.  Got that?

Then, imagine a group of people swooping in with energy, love, and trunks full of American goods to put on a three day Kids Class (freeing up the parents for the marriage retreat).  Well done, Church, well done.

Some of the greatest blessings of being an overseas mom come by walking through the challenges.  My kids had not been with other English speaking kids in nearly a month.  That is the hard part.  BUT, look at the friendships that form when missionary kids gather.  Doesn't the body language say it all.....

I'd be willing to believe the team from America did not pull a bag of goldfish or animal crackers or a craft project out of their Mary-Poppins-like trunks without an outburst of enthusiasm from this group of kids.

What makes this life worth it, though, is not the American treats visitors bring, the games they play or the rockets and catapults they created together this weekend.  No, no.  Watching our kids fully engaged in worship shoulder-to-shoulder with their friends each evening was what makes it all worth it.  I don't know how we could have instilled that kind of appreciation for the Body and for fellowship in worship at such a young age had we stayed in America.  I say this to encourage you (and us) to keep stepping out in faith when all you see is the cost, trusting that in His name our kids will overcome.

I continue to be struck by the body of Christ that is big enough to care for us, transfusing the exact encouragement we needed that Africa could not provide, though we'd never met this team, nor had they experience with ministry in Africa.  How is that even possible?  I picture the right hand not knowing why the left hand is hurting, but hearing the head say, "Go over there and take care of it."  And so they came.  I want to be so in tune with the Head that I don't have to know the whys to obey.

Forever let the Church proclaim......