"Let the Children Come..."

Anyone who knows me at all knows my heart for children and how my heart breaks for children in dire situations. Throughout my short life, I consider myself so blessed to have met so many children from so many different places and countries. As the holidays are just around the corner, I have been thinking a lot these experiences and all the children I have met. I often wonder what the holidays are like for them. Often, I think about the fact that there is no difference between me and them: we were all born into this world in the image of God, we are all children of God and we are all loved by Him. But for many of them, they were born into such a different "world" than me! I have spent many hours thinking through these things, and really struggling with them.

As I reflect on all the experiences I have had, I took a little trip down memory lane. I thought about my recent trip to Kenya and my trips to Mexico and the Dominican Republic and the summer I spent travelling throughout Russia. What a wonderfully beautiful world full of people God has created! Then I think about all the times I ask God "why?": why did someone so young have to get sick? why do bad things happen to good people? why are there thousands of children going to bed hungry and tired tonight? I could literally go on all day asking these questions. It is easy to wonder where God is in all these things. It's moments like this, however, God shows up. He reminds me that he was already in all the places I have travelled before I arrived, and he reminds me that he is there still today (even in the middle of Siberia where it can be as cold as negative 60 degrees!!!)

Some people that I meet come in and out of my life, and I may forget their faces quickly. But many of the faces of children I have met will probably stay in my mind forever. Because although many of these children have experienced pain in ways I can only imagine, their faces have more joy than anyone, and that's why I know when I remember their faces, or when I look at a photograph, I believe that am truly looking into the face of God. This kinda blows my mind, and I am reminded of how big God is.

There are days where I wish I had all the answers for the questions I struggle with, but then I am reminded not to take things for granted. To go where God calls me and to look at others through His eyes and not mine. I have seen God in so many places and people, but sometimes I have to look really hard! How can you see the Lord's face in the people around you?

Just for fun, here's some pictures of the children I have met over the past few years. I am amazed at how beautiful they are everytime I remember them!

Kenyan School Children

Some of the boys in Kenya

Nenet Children from a remote village in Siberia, Russia

A Russian girl named Tanya who truly showed me what unconditional love is

A few of the orphans in Mexico

This is a sweet little girl from the Dominican Republic

More energetic and beautiful Dominican children

Maybe this post has been me rambling my thoughts. Or maybe not. Maybe you have seen God in the eyes of someone around you. I have been considering ways to act on the passion for children that God has put on my heart this year. As a service project next month, our youth group is going to do Operation Christmas Child. This is a project which takes shoe boxes that people have filled with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items and distributes them to children all over the world. It's a great opportunity to serve God by serving his children! It's also something you can do together as a family, group of friends, couple, etc. It's not too late to put together a box this year, so I urge you to consider this (maybe even as an alternative to the typical Christmas gift exchange!) Here's the website: samaritanspurse.org