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I am so thankful to be home safe and sound back with my family...

Seeing every last one of my kids in the car as we jumped in at the curb at O Hare brought total joy and peace to my heart.

Not to mention the angst that I felt the week or so prior knowing that my sister had come into town to help and within 30 mins. of her arrival... my kids started dropping like flies due to a stomach bug... yes... 4 of my 5 got it... and then 3 of her 5 caught it.  OH MY GOODNESS!  That was my biggest fear...

Greg continually said how calm and not stressed out Beth was... and that totally is my sister... and Greg for that matter.  They handled it all extremely well...said it almost reached a comedic state at times... I just felt bad not to be able to love on my babies while they were sick and to have them bear the brunt of all that extra work... But praise God... it was a very short lived virus and all are well and back to normal now...

But MY SISTER BETH DESERVES A MEDAL FOR AUNTIE OF THE YEAR!!!  I owe her big time.  She was such a huge help!

So now comes the processing of all that we experienced while in Uganda...  Wow... it is WONDERFUL coming home... but it is DIFFICULT too! 

How do you leave that precious little girl who just was abandoned and dropped off at the baby home with a look of utter terror and sadness that was constant in her eyes knowing that she won't be getting the full love and nurturing care she so desperately needs and deserves ...  it breaks my heart!

How do you leave a certain street boy right where he is in the slums... KNOWING FULL WELL the amazing potential he has to make so much more of HIS life with the right guidance, love and support...  Oh he has my prayers!!!

How do you walk right back into a beautiful home on the church campus with a well stocked refrigerator and pantry... KNOWING FULL WELL that those boys on the streets may  not possibly have a thing to eat for 2 days... or maybe even longer...

How do you leave all that behind... 1/2 way across the world and not have it impact you every single day.

I can't and I won't let it not impact me or change me... Once you see them, live by them, experience them, hug them, love them, work with them... they leave their imprint right on your heart...

I am praying that we did the same... that the love that we showed, and the time we spent together will leave that same lasting imprint on their hearts...

Someone asked me yesterday... a very pointed question... What is my take away?... (I was glad that she asked such a pointed question... sometimes it is literally impossible to answer the question... How was your trip???  How do you articulate all that your heart is full of now??)

But a more pointed question helps with that processing... Yesterday I told her one thing... But today my take away is something different... (That will probably happen... my takeaways will change and be added to as the Lord reveals more and more from what we saw and experienced)  Here is my takeaway for today...

When all that we saw and experienced seems overwhelming or the problems too big...

I need to remember and  focus on the fact that what we did makes a difference... maybe to one, maybe to many...

Maybe to a group of orphans orphaned by a mudslide who are waiting for a home...  who now have a fully equipped orphanage to call home...

Maybe to the hundreds of kids who will come back to a new freshly painted school room after holiday...

Maybe to the kids from 3 orphanages who had their first Christmas party and got to actually pick out their very own presents... (oh the utter delight in their eyes I will never forget:)

Maybe to the frightened street boy who now has a bible to read...

Maybe to that toddler you pushed for hours on the swing  all the while singing to her of the faithfulness of God and His love for her...

Maybe to that baby who you cuddled and whispered the promises of God to over and over again...

Maybe to those lonely abandoned pregnant teens you shared your most difficult life experiences with...  and prayed for and encouraged them with the promises of God's word... He will NEVER leave or forsake you....


I could go on and on...

God calls us to love one another... God calls us to serve others... God calls us to be HIS hands and feet to the world around us... at our back door and beyond...  Giving ALL GLORY TO HIM!!

I have much more to share about our trip in the days ahead.... these are just my first thoughts back on the home front...