Better Than I Ever Dreamed_0001.wmv

God came crashing through my computer last week. My friend, Marcelina, wanted me to make a video of her family to send to her grandfather who lives in Mexico. He has never seen some of his grandchildren. In doing that, I had to find early pictures of the children when we first went to their camp. I had to go through my dvd's to find where I stored them. I found some and imported them to my computer. I popped in another dvd, and heard my daughter's sweet voice singing a song she wrote six years ago when we moved from our home of Anna, Illinois where we had lived for 15 years. We had to leave family, friends, and the beautiful home you see at the beginning of this video.
When we left, we really thought that God was calling us to go. I have always wanted to follow Jesus wherever He wanted me to go. I sang "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" with all my heart. It's a noble desire to want to follow Jesus. But it's a LOT harder than it looks. It involves sacrifice. And sacrifice involves pain, loss, and change. I hate change. UGH! And there are some days when it really strikes me just how much I have lost and left behind. And honestly, there are moments when I wonder if it's worth it. Anyway, while I was listening to my daughter's song, my computer randomly (or not so randomly) popped up the pictures of the early years of these children that we have worked with for the last four and a half years. And suddenly God's message came through loud and clear! I got it! I had forgotten the poverty and misery they were in when we first met them. These children were forgotten and overlooked by so many people, but not by God. I didn't even know they existed. But God did. And He loves them very much. And as I saw how much God has done in their lives the last few years, I was overwhelmed with immense JOY!!!! And I had that moment we all hope to have . . . the one that says, "Yes, it is absolutely worth it!" I was profoundly moved by God's love and am so thrilled He has allowed me to be a part in all of this! My loss has been someone else's gain. And isn't that what Jesus' loss was for. . . someone else's gain? This Christmas, these little children will be going to sleep in a heated apartment with a bathroom and hot water. They will wake up and put nice clothes on, eat a good meal, and open some Christmas presents. . . something they never had before. My own children can't come home for Christmas this year. I live too far away. That makes me sad. But somehow, I think I still may have one of the best Christmas's ever. :)

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• inspirational