New Family Members

I went to the Women of Faith conference this past weekend, and as always when I return from this conference, I am so full with all the goodness I heard. While there, I decided to bring the boys home something other than a new book or t-shirt…something with eternal value. So I brought them home brothers. Meet the newest members of our family…Thuso from Lesotho and Marinho from Mozambique.

I chose these 2 precious boys to sponsor because Thuso was born on the very same day as Caleb, and Marinho was born just 4 days before Cody. We are sponsoring these 2 precious boys through an organization called World Vision. If you don’t know anything about that organization, I would encourage you to check them out. We already sponsor our little Anny, who lives in Honduras, through Compassion International…also a GREAT organization. When I handed the boys the information packets, they had the reaction I knew they would…they already love their new brothers. They’re very excited about sending them a package when we get all their information from WV. As I thought about these precious children, I could not help but think of my very own precious boys and some things I want them to know…

Dear Cody & Caleb,

You reacted just as I thought you would when I showed you the pictures of the two little boys I picked for us to sponsor. You looked at their pictures for a long time, read their story…and prayed for them. You hung their pictures by your bed so you could think of them and pray for them daily.

As I pillowed my head last night, I was thankful that you will never feel the sheer exhaustion from walking for miles by my side carrying a water jug so that our family could have dirty water to drink…and my heart ached that both of these boys have endured that exhaustion. I was thankful that in the morning when you wake up hungry, I will meet your need and feed you enough food to satisfy your hunger, and my heart ached that these boys have woken up many days hungry with nothing to satisfy theirs. I was thankful that in the morning I will drive you to school where you will learn more knowledge than you’ll ever need in your lifetime…and my heart ached that these boys have no free public schools to attend. I was thankful that when you get sick, with even a minor thing like a cold, I can take you to your doctor for $20…and my heart ached that these boys have witnessed more deaths to waterborne diseases and HIV/AIDS than anyone should have to witness, especially children. And I was thankful that not only do you learn about God from me and your daddy, but we drive five minutes to a church that has been faithful to teach you about God since you were babies…and my heart ached to think that these boys may have never heard about our sweet Savior were it not for an organization like World Vision. I thought about when you asked why they weren’t smiling in their pictures, how I told you they are children with very few things to be happy about.

Boys, these are the reasons why we sacrifice. And yet just saying that it is a sacrifice for us feels almost indignant…because if I’m truthful, it’s not much of a sacrifice for us.…we spend $70 eating out twice a month. When I think of it that way, it feels way too insignificant. I think about the words in the song All That is Within Me, “such a tiny offering compared to Calvary, but nevertheless I lay it at Your feet.” This monthly gift is a tiny offering…a small token, but we lay it at the Father’s feet and pray that it is multiplied by the God who loves Thuso and Marinho more than anyone. I pray that every day in their future they will have fresh, clean water to drink and play in, and bathe with…and that they’ll never go to sleep at night hungry; that never again will they have to witness a family member or friend die for lack of medicine. And most of all, I pray that they’ll have teachers who will teach them not only how to read and write, but also that there is a Heavenly Father who loves them unconditionally and died for them.

I pray that the image of your new brothers never leaves you…that you’ll develop a genuine love for hurting people and you will spend your life making a difference for Jesus Christ.

Love,

Mommy