5 weeks ago S got on a C-130 headed west for a work trip. While in flight, I guess he had some time to think, because about 4 hours later he sent me a text message saying "We are ALL 5 going to Nicaragua this summer."
Since then, we have decided that we will all NOT be going to Nicaragua. We will take the boys with us at some point, but this is not the year. I think the altitude might have been affecting his brain momentarily. Our youngest is still pretty young. And not that you can't travel with little ones, but a trip to La Chureca isn't exactly the water park, you know?
Ever since I was a kid I have wanted to do something big. I read Madelyn Allbright's biography in college and thought I surely would be headed to the State Department and by 30 would be an ambassador. Funny, huh? A bit different than an ambassadorship to Malawi, but Nicaragua and the kids at Casa Bernabe are my " something BIG".
Everyday, we are all given opportunities to help someone put in our path by the divine. And stepping into that we get to witness something bigger than ourselves, as wide and as deep as the universe. Kids in Malawi need help too, as those in inner city New York do. But the children at this orphanage in Nicaragua have have been put in my path, and they are mine.
I am coming to learn that everyone's greatest desire is to be known. Known by our fellow man and known by the God who made us. We all yearn for someone to know us that intimately...truly known for who you are, what fires you up, what saddens you deeply, our good parts and our bad...and loves us anyway. And knowing that I have a partner in all of this who understands that I need to do this...well, hes a good guy and I'm grateful everyday that I married him. He pushes me and asks em to do things that I would never do in a million years, like write and snowboard and go to crazy out of the way places like Nicaragua. So, that was that.
I will be headed back to Managua with ORPHANetwork on July 2.
This time, there has been a request for handmade dolls for the younger children. You can read more about how they will be used and how to contribute over at Craft Hope. I want to send a huge thank you to Jade for helping get the word out. You are wonderful for putting this together.
Can you just imagine it...some of the poorest children in the world, running around with one of the cutest dolls in the world?
So cool, eh?
This was a tough post to wrap up into a nice neat package, but I think that first photo taken at La Chureca pretty much sums it up perfectly. Its all rooted in love, my friends.