Through the love of our children

Looking back at all that has gone on in our lives since April, I am amazed.  We knew it was going to be a lot and we knew we would look back and wonder what we were thinking but we pressed on because we felt the Lord guiding us down this path.  However, it’s one thing to know that the Lord has called you to do something and another thing entirely to be in the midst of really hard life and cling to that memory and knowledge of God’s small voice.  He doesn’t always keep repeating over and over what he asks of you.  Sometimes he tells you and asks that you follow and trust him when his voice feels more distant.  Both John and I had been through hard times like this before and we made it through but it felt like an entirely different story bringing two small children through it.  Did we really hear God asking us to do this?  At one point in our training in Texas and another time once we got to the ship I said to John that I think this whole experience was too much for Adalynn and she would never be the same.  She just wasn’t her carefree, happy self anymore.  I was so worried that she was scarred forever from her 4 months of transitions. 

In the time from April to August Adalynn became a big sister, moved 4 times, spent a month away from us for most of the day, left the country, said too many goodbyes, slept in 8 different beds, moved onto a big ship. . . .It was so much for John and I and we couldn’t even imagine what she must be going through.  No wonder she was fussy and not herself.    I mentioned this in an earlier post but it has really stuck with me. It was during our hard transition to the ship that someone reminded me that the Lord would not lead us to Mercy Ships at the expense of our children. The Lord has not called John and me alone but he has called us as a family.  They also felt like the Lord told them that Adalynn and Cora have their own special role here and they were excited to see what that would be.  It was exactly what we needed to hear.  We had so much peace knowing that the Lord has special plans just for them and we can trust Him fully to take care of them.

How grateful we are to be through that transition and see the girls thriving.  These last few weeks we have been so blessed to see one aspect of their role on this ship.  The Guinean people love babies.  Maybe that is too broad and overarching of a statement but I have not met a man, woman or child who is not automatically drawn to Cora and Adalynn.  We have spent quite a bit of time down in the hospital and outside playing with the patients these last few weeks.  The wards are filled with adults and children who have lived their lives with deformities that have led to ridicule and isolation.  It seems many are afraid to cling to the hope of a new life that is being offered to them through their physical healing. Some are still fairly withdrawn and in addition there are cultural and language barriers that can make it difficult to interact with some of the patients and their families.   It can take a while to bring them out.  But Adalynn and Cora have a way of building cultural bridges in the span of about 2 seconds.  Women, men and children fight to hold Cora.  They call her beautiful baby and unabashedly give her hugs and kisses.  I can see their faces soften and their eyes light up.  It allows me to feel a connection to them that, otherwise, may have taken several days or weeks.  We cannot always communicate with words but we can understand each other through the love of our children.

 

Adalynn causes the same reactions but isn’t quite as eager to be held and passed around. I usually have her bring some crayons or books to share and she will sit with the kids and play with them. I am just so amazed that they don’t speak the same language but they can still be kids and play together. It actually even made me glad that Adalynn showed some of her not-so-proper two year old behavior because it made me remember that she isn’t trying to be anything that she is not. She doesn’t see these people any differently than others. She is just herself. She has also learned some French and Susu! I can sit with the moms and watch our kids play together and I can sense that the distance between us narrows. We may never get to verbally tell someone about Jesus but I feel that Adalynn and Cora are showing aspects of Jesus’ love just by being who they are. What a gift to watch!

 

As we watch the impact our kids are having on the people of Guinea we are so thankful that not only will they “make it through this time” but they will thrive and we will all be better for it.  Our prayer is that they grow up without a sense of racial or socioeconomic division, but so aware of God’s beautiful diversity and with hearts that desire to serve others.