The entire team made it home safely for which we are very thankful. Several of us connected on Facebook last night and found that we are all struggling with our return back to 'normal.' The scenes we witnessed are replaying in our minds, breaking our hearts over and over.
Normally, teams have a day or so of R&R at the end of the trip so that they can talk and help each other sort through their emotions. It wasn't possible for this trip, so we are going to 'talk' through Facebook and hopefully, Skype.
There is just not an easy adjustment between seeing a child in rags, with not enough food, living in wretched conditions and standing in the grocery store, with food in abundance, seeing magazines with stories of so-called celebrities and other things that do not matter.
Maybe my teenager put it more succinctly when he said, "Makes you think when you spend $5 for a cheeseburger but $5 could have bought the medicine that would have cured the strep infection for that guy with the kidney failure."
We can bring short term help, but God can fill them with everlasting HOPE.
And He can wipe the tears from their eyes...
Healing for their pain.
A room full of priceless treasures
And one cute baby that liked giving me the stink eye
My sweet little shadow
"Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, 'Be strong, do not fear; your God will come.'" Isaiah 35: 3, 4
Know you are loved. You are not forgotten.
God sees. And now we have seen. We cannot pretend we have not seen their misery, nor can we turn away.
Another sweet shadow in a different location.
Jesus loves them...they need to know.
I challenge myself with the question, "What more can I do?"
Do I really not have enough to be able to give more? I wonder what God thinks as He looks down from heaven and sees us with our great abundance, yet hanging on to our wealth with tight fists. I think His heart weeps.
"I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places." Isaiah 45:2, 3
This trip was not a one time thing. It was an invitation to another way of life.
