Blessings.

A couple of weeks ago I was so blessed to be able to skype with my kids from Kenya! As I was chatting and laughing with them I could see how well they are each doing. Some of them have matured so much in the last 6 months. Some of them have grown taller. A common thread though is that they have all returned home.

This was a hard thing for me to grasp and honestly it has taken me this many months to realize it. Tour was an incredible experience for them and me. We learned and grew together. They heard truth and received love. We bonded through living life together. Tour was a part of their journey and a part of mine.

But now they are home. They are living the next part of their journey. These children are exactly where they are supposed to be, in Africa, receiving an incredible education, growing closer to their families, and seeing the world through a different set of eyes. I believe that what these children learned and experienced on tour will give them the courage to take steps of faith.

I will never lose the bond that I have with them. The way that I show my love and care isn't from the next seat over on the bus, it is from across an ocean. Before when I could show love through simple words or action, now it is through prayers and letters.

I pray that I will be able to see them again, that I will be able to wrap my arms around them and say "I love you" in person. Until that day though, I will love them through prayers and letters (and the occasional skype call).

^this one is a bit dark, but it is Deborah and her friend Mary (from 34)

^Charity, Priscillah, Naomi, and Esther

^Charity :)

^Charity and Priscillah

^Ivy and Benson

Thank you Uncle Tony for letting all these Choir 35 chaperones talk and see the kiddos. You rock.

Thank you Lord for watching over each of these children and ordaining their steps. You have such good plans for them.