Torn

In just a couple of days, at 6 a.m. I will load up my three kiddos and drive 5 1/2 hours to meet my parents. We will eat lunch, transfer their things, and I will kiss them goodbye for eight days. Ugh! Hard! And yet, this opportunity has opened conversations to talk with our kids about God's love for orphans. Yes, I get weepy when I think about saying goodbye to my kids for a week...but I also get weepy when I think of the millions of boys and girls without parents or homes to call their own. So, if I could describe my emotional state right now in one word, that word would be TORN. I am leaving my kids with grandparents and family who love them unconditionally, where they will have the time of their lives being with their grandparents in a way they've never been before...and yet somehow I feel like I'm leaving my post, my job, my responsibility. On the other hand, I am going to a place of extreme poverty for one week to build a home...a permanent home for orphans. This is not just another orphanage we are building...but family homes where house parents will actually provide homes for 6-10 children with HIV/AIDs who have no hope of being adopted or cared for by anyone else. My part is so small...and yet God is so big. And then, there is the look on Culley's face when we talk about boys and girls who don't have moms and dads who love them...who take care of them...who are alone. My heart breaks as she tries to understand the consequence of sin in the world and the impact it has on beautiful children...children my little girl would befriend in a heartbeat. I hate having to share that reality with her. BUT, my prayer is she will see a need to love the orphan as God has called us to love them...and she in turn will serve as hopefully she sees her mom and dad serving...and that she will give all of her resources and gifts and life to the service of Jesus Christ. So, while this is hard I know that it is also one more example to my children of giving of ourselves to further the cause of Christ. Would you please pray for our team...for the seven football players who are going (not all would claim to be Christians...pray for their salvation), for the four coaches and three wives who will accompany us on this trip. Please pray for our children we leave behind...for the moms and dads who are worried about their boys leaving the country for the first time...for the beautiful orphans we will meet...for the missionaries we will bless...for our travel...for our spiritual growth...for God's glory to radiate through us...and for seeds to be planted. I pray that those who read this would look for ways in their own lives to sacrificially give of their time and resources to further serve our Lord...our Savior...our King. It is why we were saved...it is why we are here...it is our life's calling. Blessings, Jodi