May 29, 2013

Dear family and friends,

      We walked home from the Children’s Home in silence under a cloudless Kenyan sky tonight.  We had just had a very long goodbye with seventy eight of the children and the staff.  We knew that it would be heartbreaking- and it was.  The tears,  hugs, kisses and prayers lasted for several hours before the final “see you soon” was said (the kids had decided that to say goodbye was not good- “see you soon” meant that our time apart would be short and temporary).  Each of us had written letters to each of the children telling them how much we love them, sharing what we value in each one of them and reminding them of God’s love and plan for their lives. How many nights in the past five months had we walked back to the guest house after hugs and goodnights in each bedroom of the Children’s Home?  For the past few days I had been thinking of all that was left undone here, all the regrets of words not said or heard, had we really done what God was calling us to do.  What hurt the most was knowing that some children were just beginning to open up and share a little piece of their hearts with us.  Why didn’t we spend more time, more energy on those things that will last for an eternity?  We leave tomorrow morning for our flight out of Nairobi.  We have prayed that God will help us to sort all this out- to leave behind the things that could bring doubt and discouragement- to treasure those things and times that brought glory to His name and made a difference in the Kingdom.  I shared with some of the older kids tonight that I was thankful for the pain of leaving them, for that pain was a reminder of the deep love we feel for those children.   One girl replied, “Mom, only God can do that!”  Enough said- Amen!!!  Thank you family and friends for joining us in this life changing adventure!  God has moved through your prayers and support!  We will write much more after returning to Sheboygan. 

 

Love in Christ, Scott, Kathi, Sarah, James, Megan, Matthew