Thoughts on this particular day.

This morning, four of the girls here are leaving for their audencias.  What is that?  This is the time they go before the judge with Vilma, the social worker at POP, and/or Dr. Jim and their families.  This is the time where the judge decides if the family is ready for the girl(s) to return or if it is still better for them to stay at Prince of Peace.  Sometimes the girls are excited.  A few weeks ago, Virginia had her audencia and she was so excited to be going home to live with her older sister.  This morning, on my walk, I saw these four girls and a range of emotions.  On one face was excitement, on another anxiety, and on one, well, she's just stoic.  This morning I'm listening to this and am praying for peace-peace-peace for Eloisa and Eugenia and Yaneth and Vanesa.

I'm thankful for a God who is full of grace, peace, and justice.  And I'm grateful for a God who WILL NOT relent when it comes to the lives of these girls.  As well, I'm glad He WILL NOT relent when it comes to my own heart and yours.  

Lilian Yaneth 

Eugenia y Eloisa 

Vanesa 

Ana 

Last night Ana came over to visit.  We had tea and hot cocoa and chatted about everything under the sun:). Ana is one of the older girls in Independent Living.  She is beautiful and full of pranks and spunk…and the more we visit, the more I see a soft heart and a desire.  As we visited last night, she made a comment about her mom and how she (Ana) came from El Salvador to Guatemala.  I asked her if she would share her story with us (Lauren and I).  She is the first girl I've asked to personally share.  It's such a tender thing to share openly, but I sensed it was a good time for connection and I felt she'd be willing.  She smiled and proceeded to lead us through her history and at the end of the story said this place, Prince of Peace, is an answer to her prayer to God.  A prayer she prayed as a little girl.  She defines POP as her other family.  "We eat and sleep and go to school together here.  I have two families."  So strong are those ties!




Many of my thoughts this week have been toward adoption.  These conversations and living among these girls has emphasized and magnified this = our position and our adoption into the King's family.  That Third Day Children of God video is still playing on this computer screen!  The song is good, but the video has a particularly strong impact, God does not see us with the labels we generally place on one another.  We are His daughters and these few months, I am living among some of His most treasured possessions!

God thanks.  Thanks for Your RELENTLESS pursuit in our lives.