testify

Last night at the MFM speaking event, we showed a video about EBS with footage around northern Haiti and EBS's campus.  Our family has seen it 20 times, at least.  But as we were watching with the group, I realized Lily's eyes were glued, and a few minutes later, I saw tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Lily! Lily!" I gasped, "What's wrong, hunnie!?  Are you ok?"

And this is exactly what she said: "Mom, when I see these pictures of Haiti, I feel so sad in my heart, and I just want to go home.  Can we please go back to Haiti now?"

It broke my heart, and also had me uttering one of those "without words" prayers of praise to our Father.

The reality is that while I do my best in Haiti to protect our girls, work hard to make them happy, strive to give them a good education, help them build good relationships, etc... I can't make them LOVE Haiti or it's people.  I can't give them a HEART for Haiti.  Much less a broken one.

But I realized last night that HE has.  It's where God asked us to be, Matt and I, and JUST as He promised, He IS taking care of our children, too...even of their little hearts.

Even as a four year-old, with four year-old priorities, He's giving Lily a love and a joy for a people and country with no playground, no fast food, no zoos, no aquariums, no Disney Worlds, no toy aisles...so deep that her heart longs for HOME.

Just as He's provided for US, He's providing for our children, even down to the God-Alone love in all of our hearts for Haiti.

Her tears were for me a sign of His faithfulness to His promises to ME--not as His daughter or as His follower or as His worker or as a missionary, but as a MOTHER.

and I'm telling you, because I want to remember.