Saying Good-bye long distance

Wow, so many changes are taking place at Beautiful Gate while we are away. Some have been great, some have been extremely difficult and some leave us feeling like we are missing a little closure by not being there. Benno and Wendy are doing a great job at Beautiful Gate and I thank God that He brought them there to fill in for us while we have been away. I got an email from Wendy about one of the kids who will be leaving soon and I got an email from Kristen (our volunteer in the BG office who is Bryan's right hand helper) about 5 kids who will be leaving in the next 2 weeks. It is good that there are a few kids leaving real soon as our numbers have just bounced to 74 today!

With these kids leaving it has caused me to reflect on a few of them and on how bittersweet it is that I will not likely see them again. In those kids are my "soccer buddy" who was deathly afraid of white people when he first arrived, oh how he screamed and hid from me whenever he saw me near him. It took about 2 weeks before he warmed up and became my buddy. His smile lights up a room. My "cuddler" is also being adopted. She would run to my side and hug me whenever she had the chance. I looked for her in play group because I knew she would give me her best smile and hug and then we could run off and play together. My "singer," I will miss my little singer. He is the brightest kid I have ever met in my life and he can sing and clap to the beat and though he is young, he has been doing it for years. I thank God that I have a little recording of his little voice because I will miss his singing and his amazing chubby cheeks.

The last little guy is a miracle, and today I got to write him a farewell letter. It was hard not to tear up as I recall how special and how miraculous his life is. So many nights I was on my knees in prayer for this little kid, praying that God would heal him and now the Lord has provided him a family of his own. It leaves me feeling awestruck by the goodness and faithfulness of our God. I am sad that I will not get to say good-bye in person, but it is only a tiny sadness that is overcome with the joy that God has not left these children as fatherless or motherless. He has given them the very thing they stand in NEED of, a family who will love them. Until we meet again my precious Beautiful Gate friends.