Demasiada

First of all, sorry that I've been away so long. I've been getting into the routine of work again and studying for the class I'm teaching. But something has happened that is too wonderful not to share.

I don't like it when people talk about their kids/grandkids all the time. It seems very self-absorbed. I mean, who really cares when little Jimmy goes potty by himself for the first time?
Think about it. That kind of stuff should stay within the family. But today I must break my own rule for talking about my grandkids because God has answered a long-standing prayer and I want to praise Him and share that happiness with others.

The first grandchild. That's a biggie. If you're a grandparent, you know what I mean. If you're not, Lord willing, you will know what I mean someday. It's overwhelming really. The child you had is now becoming a parent! It made me feel old and it made me feel proud. It made me humble and it made me thankful. It's hard to decribe.

Our first grandchild came to us in a very unusual way...in a surprising way, for God is a God of surprises and delight. Ally and Jarrod had been married, oh about 4 months. Ally was in the midst of adjustments. Adjusting to being married; adjusting to life in a third-world country (Honduras); adjusting to being a missionary; adjusting to running a clinic. A woman came to the clinic with a very sick liitle baby about 3-4 months old. Emaciated, lice-covered, very, very sick, skin and bones. You get the picture. It didn't look good. The baby went to the hospital, the mom left her there. The baby was deserted. She looked up one day at Ally in the midst of all her misery and smiled. A smile that forever bonded us all. From that day forward, I had a granddaughter. My granddaughter Sol.

Sol is now 3, almost 4. She is a gift to us all. Because she is not officially adopted, she cannot leave Honduras, so to see her, we have to go there. We love going there, but it's not a trip we can make very often. I think we've seen her 3 times. The adoption process in Honduras is very complex and hard to navigate. Recently, Ally and Jarrod were able to obtain a birth certificate for her which was a necessary first step. And we have all been praying so hard that she could get a passport which would enable her to travel with the whole family to vist the U.S. When Ally or Jarrod come to the U.S., they have to come separately because Sol cannot leave. It is bittersweet when we see them here because someone is always missing.

So the big news...the very big news is that Sol has her passport and can now come and see all the people who so desperately love her. Please go to Ally's blog and read two entries. One is titled "Energy" and the other is titled "What does it mean?".

The world we live in is filled with pain. There are many needs. As Christians, we are faced with challenges daily as we try to live the Kingdom life here in an antagonistic world. Sometimes I forget God's goodness. I dwell too much on the difficulties and rejoice too little in the blessed life we have here in Christ. Today I am reminded that God is good. He gives good gifts to his children. One of those gifts to me is 3 years old and lives in Honduras. And she's finally going to get to come and visit her family. The family that God gave her in a very unusual way.

It is going to be a very good Christmas.