Philippians 4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
I am really at a loss for words while beginning this post. I'm not at a loss for thoughts but once again, where to start is difficult for me. The adoption process is going really fast...I think. Truthfully, it's really hard to tell. We have our home study approved and I over-nighted it today to USCIS. Once they get it, they will give Todd and I an appointment to be digitally finger printed. Once this is complete, the paperwork will be processed and they will approve us as "adoptable" parents and we will be allowed to bring the children back to the USA as their legal guardians. We don't actually apply for "adoption" until we are back from Uganda. On the Ugandan side of the adoption, I have received the preliminary affidavits that will be presented to the judge for his review. After he reviews the paper work, he will give us a referral date. When we have that date, we will make plans and go to Uganda.
When I think about going to Uganda I know one thing is for sure...I am not going to want to say good bye to any of the children or friends that I am looking forward to meeting in person. All of the people and all of the children are special. I asked Joel one day when the children weren't in the room if any of the other children were jealous of Joan and Derrick. He said to me, "in whose heart would they be jealous?" I hadn't thought of jealousy coming from someone's heart but guess what? That's where it comes from, my heart! Ouch! Anyway, he said not really but some of the children had asked him, "why is Amiee taking Joan and not me?" It's a logical question. Well needless to say, that comment has weighed heavily on our hearts. There are not two adoptions that have the same story and ours is no different. I know without a doubt that God has planted seeds in our hearts for Joan and Derrick. They are already our children. As I've said before, they have friends and relationships with others that have endured the same struggles of poverty, being hungry, being sick, not having a bed to sleep in. I could go on and I probably will another time but I'll save that for another day. If you haven't had the chance to look at the video of Rays of Hope and SOZO on the front page of the blog please watch it. I have watched the Rays of Hope video many times and I've never seen Joan. Today, I watched it for the 101th time and I saw her as plain as day in the middle of the children jumping up and down, probably praising God for all that she has. She doesn't have on one of the "red uniforms" that Joel's mom "Auntie Justine" made. I've got to remember to ask Joel why some of them have them and some of them don't. Maybe she does and her grandmother doesn't want her to wear it...who knows. I'm just curious. Anyway, the more I look, the more God shows me. How many times has God tried to show me and I haven't looked? Probably lots! Well now He's got my attention. HE has put a mission in my heart for all of the children at Rays of Hope and SOZO. God is leading us on an amazing journey and it is only beginning with Joan and Derrick. I don't think God's plan is for all of the children at Rays of Hope to be adopted with middle class white people from the USA. I think our God is cleaver. I think our God is merciful. I think our God is saving me, my soul, by giving me the opportunity to serve the "pearls of Africa"...the children and community of Kabalagala, the children at Rays of Hope and SOZO. I can honestly say, I had never desired to go on a mission trip, out of the country or inside my own country. This is how I know our God is cleaver. He has orchestrated the most beautiful mission trip for my family and I that I could ever imagine. All I have to do is be obedient and serve the most loving and amazing God I have ever known. Part of my obedience is going to require leaving something for the 298 children at Rays of Hope that I can't bring back with something. I don't want the children to feel like I didn't "choose" them. I am going their to "serve" them. I am going their to enrich their lives with the love of Jesus Christ. I am going to make sure they know "Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world." In the picture above, the children are crowded around desks that are splintered, not stable and they are about 20 years old. The concrete floor has holes in it. The chalk board is falling apart and their are holes in the walls. We are praying that God will provide the resources necessary to repair the school while we are there. We don't know how much it will cost. We are uncertain if they have water near enough to even mix the cement to repair the floor. We would love to paint it but we will see how much time we actually have when we get their. Below is a picture of the desks that we are going to build. I don't think they have "Home Depot" but I know one thing for sure...if God wants The Reeves to rebuild the walls, floors and desks at Rays of Hope, He will provide everything we need and more. He will meet all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus!
 |
| The chalkboard... |
 |
| New desks we will build... |
No comments:
Post a Comment