Afeefa's time here is quickly coming to a close. Last week we purchased plane tickets to take her home again. Healing the Children doesn't usually allow host families to take the children back, but because of all of the new therapy and things that Afeefa has been learning that her family needs to keep up with, they have given permission for me to take her back. I was feeling ok about traveling to Guyana alone this time, but as I lay in bed thinking about it the other night, I realized that I would feel so much better if someone else could come along with me. I wasn't sure if HTC would approve of another person coming along, and the only person who seemed logical to me is Kristin VanWieren, who accompanied me last time, since she has all of the necessary shots and passport already. I called HTC and got their permission late on Wednesday, but was told they needed a definite answer by Thursday morning in order to lock in at the fare we had. So, I called Kristin just before she left for parent-teacher conferences, and having really only one night to work things out----discuss it with her family, get permission from her principal, clear her calendar and figure out child care----everything miraculously came together and she is able to accompany me and Afeefa on our return to Guyana. We plan to leave on Wednesday, February 29-----only 9 short days away.
This time with Afeefa has been very special. We've seen marked progress in her use of her eyes as well as her mobility. We've enjoyed her sweet little voice, her hugs, her laughter, and her affection for each one of us---especially for the kids. Some of the things we've particularly enjoyed:
* when she sings along with songs at bedtime----it's amazing how many of them she has memorized!
* when she tastes a new food and says "Tastes like beef" and everyone laughs!
* every time Glen prays at meal times, at the end of the prayer Afeefa says, "Good job!!!"
* each time we get in our van to go somewhere, she says "We ride in the Mama Bus!"
We've been so blessed by this precious little one. Though it is a lot of work, we feel so blessed to be able to welcome and love Afeefa as our own. Yesterday our sermon in church was about love. All week long we had read chapters about love, and our Sunday service culminated with a sermon tying them all together. I was remembering the very first time Afeefa came, the very first night, when Afeefa was handed to me and entrusted to our care. I sat rocking this crying child that I didn't know, feeling overwhelmed and totally inadequate, and I prayed, "Lord, please, help me to love this little one. She is so sad, so homesick, and she needs a mama to love her, but I don't feel like I can love her that way. Please, help me to love her with your love." Over time, God grew His love in my heart to enable me to love Afeefa like one of my own children. And He not only enabled me to love her, but also Glen and the kids----they've loved her so well, too. So, I was thinking about love during our sermon yesterday, and particularly about loving Afeefa. We learned that to say "I love you" is to say "I want to serve you." I love that definition of love. It has been hard work to love and serve Afeefa and her family, but because of the love Christ has for us, and for His Spirit in our hearts, we are able to love that way. I know for sure that in my own sinful, selfish nature, I have no capacity for this sort of serving love, but God has given us a tangible task to teach us to love, and we are so grateful for all that He's taught us through Afeefa and her family in our lives. Our prayer for them is that when they see our love for Afeefa, they will know it is but a mere reflection of the incomprehensible, MASSIVE love that God has for us and them in Christ Jesus.
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"He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made to be our wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." ~1 Corinthians 1:30
