Tuesday, June 28, 2011

my children and MY children

My children, in Ghana, are on my heart today. Working on a presentation for a talk I am giving at church in a few weeks is proving to be a tear filled event. Recognizing the difference between my children on Lake Volta (as they have become my heart and passion in so many ways) and MY children that I birthed makes me feel so utterly sad and angry. Because in my two sons I see childhood. I see joy and very few worries. I see giggles and hugs and kisses. I see enjoyment in a lick of ice cream or drink of tea. I see trust in their eyes that I will protect them or that Daddy will keep them safe. I see children who have no adult responsibilities... as it should be. They are CHILDREN.

For a long time I set out to give my children the childhood I never had. I mean I guess I still want that. But as we get closer to meeting our children in Ghana. That becomes less of the focus. Less me and more others. The life my boys have... it is the life all children should have the opportunity to have. They should ALL have a family and education. They should all have a safe place to sleep at night and plenty of food, time to play and be fun, goofy little people. They should have children's responsibilities like learning to read and write and learning manners and that actions have consequences... but not the consequences of disobeying your slave master or having to dive to the bottom of a lake to untangle nets at 4 years old without the knowledge of how to swim. Those are big nasty consequences no person should know let alone children who have absolutely no control of the situation. And I get angry and frustrated for my children. I get angry that so many children don't know childhood. That so many children are forced to grow up without a family and home. That so many kids have no advocate. And it motivates me. Now I am their advocate. They have made an impression on me I can never shake. And I want them all to be like my children. I want them all to be in a loving home with loving people around them being educated and playing soccer and having access to good medical care. I want them to grow up with the tools to succeed and make an impact on the world.

And all of that makes me know my heart is going in the right direction. Because I really really want this face:
to look like these faces:
The good news is that they CAN! With your help, more and more of these children will be rescued from slavery and placed into loving homes. Homes where they get an education, food, medical attention, protection and most of all... a family. That is what The Village of Life is all about!
Photo Credit
If you can, please consider donating to the school fund or my travel fund. You can make a very real difference in the lives of OUR children. The world is so much bigger than our own lives. And our impact can be so much greater than just our lives too. Make an impact on these beautiful children. Because we are not just responsible for our children when we get right down to it. Our world is a community and God commands us to take care of all of the orphaned children.

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27

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