Complicated Hope

They are landing in Phnom Phen, Cambodia as I type.  We still call them “the kids” even though they are grown with two kids of their own and capable for making decisions and following God.

They entered our life as college students – barely 19 and engaged to be married.  Kayle lived with us the semester before their wedding.  We needed a dog-sitter while traveling with soccer, she needed a home.  It worked.  She brought to our lives her fiancé, Chris – Big Chris since our son was also Chris.  Then there was Hedy and Leah and Erin and Medium Chris and Nate and Erin which led to Linda and Russ and then Mark and a never ending line of young adults.

What began as simply helping a young lady in a church membership classes blossomed into a new family.

They filled a need we didn’t know we had.
We didn’t know our kids needed a big brother and sister.  We didn’t know we needed young adults who would challange us and stretch us in our beliefs and in our physicality and in our spiritual growth.

At 46 years of age, I did my first overseas missions trip.  I was folloiwng my daughter, I told people.  Frankly, I was a huge fish-outta-water.  My gifting is seeing big pictures and solutions – we were told to be quiet and work.  I’m good at systems – they had systems, just work.   I collect stories – don’t ask people their stories; they have been through traumatic events.

They night before entering a refuge camp on an island Greece, I was able to video chat with Chris and Kayle and my 2 God-granddaughters.  I said I was nervous.   Chris said one phrase that has changed my perspective –

“Momma, you will always be as safe as God needs you to be.”

Safe.

After his second missionary trip, the Apostle Paul writes,  “but the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one, ” (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

Today, you are as safe as you need to be – God will strengthen you and will protect you.  Every day.  In ways you may never know.

As the kids are gathering their belongings and shuffling bags and boxes and children to a new apartment in a far-off country to be Jesus to those who have never see the love of God, they are safe.