Tomorrow we will head out on a great adventure. We will fly to Honduras to visit the children we have sponsored through Compassion International. The organization has been wonderful to work with and we feel so blessed to be able to meet all of them in one quick trip. Its just Scott and I travelling this time, although we do hope for many future visits when the kids would be able to join us.
I think (er, I hope) all the plans are in place for our travels. By not renting a car, we are relying on various people to help us along the way... translators, rides, etc. Although we typically have every detail of our travel planned, we are going into this trip with a sense that we are not in control... and trust that God will take care of all of those questions in His time.
Somehow we managed to pack up 150 lbs of gifts and goodies for our kids into three bags. Somehow we managed to pack light enough that Scott and I only needed one shared bag for our things!
In the last week, people have asked me about our trip and here are some of the things I've shared.
- I feel some unknown about the new places we will visit, the new people we will meet and the new (or unusual) foods we might eat
- I am nervous about those awkward social moments living in a country where you don't speak the language and waiting for translation. (Three year olds have short attention spans)
- I am concerned that we will have to divide our time up between them all and fear that we won't have enough time with any of them to make it worth their while
- I am curious how the week will go for our kiddos back home. They are all settled in at the Breen's for a 5-night sleepover but we've just come off a three week stint of houseguests and they are worn.
But the thing that's caused me the most thought, the thing I have been most private in sharing, is how do we prepare emotionally for what lies ahead?
- I dream of being able to put a face (not just a photo) with the letters I've received and to whom I've written.
- I am eager to play futbol or read a book to even one of those darlings.
- I cannot wait to hug those precious souls for which we've prayed and help them understand the depth of our love and that of their Heavenly Father.
- I hope that in our short time together, we can create a memory that will forge a special bond for years to come.
- And what about when its time to leave... how do you say good-bye after such a powerful but brief encounter?
So many things are flooding our minds. Yet we know that God is in this and has gone before us to prepare the way.
