Some very dear friends of mine have been in the process of adopting a sweet little boy who has been in an orphanage in Haiti since he was a baby. They met this little guy as they were in the process of adopting a sibling group from the same orphanage. As news of the earthquake came we rejoiced with them when they heard that all of the children in that orphanage were safe. In the days that followed, information started coming that it was very likely that adoptions that had been in progress would be expedited in order to get those children "home" in order to start making room for all the thousands of new orphans.
One night last week we heard that some of these children might be flown into Florida on military transport planes to Florida where the parents would then meet up with the children and paper work would be done in the airports. One mother was overwhelmed at that thought of her little guy having to experience his first air travel with possibly dozens of other children and only few adults to help comfort them. Then to spend the time in the airport while customs and immigration had to do what they had to do again in the company of other frightened children and few adults to offer consolation in the midst of such traumatic times. Who knew how many hours the child would have to wait. The drama and uncertainty of such an event was almost more than she could stand.
A wise woman offered a different perspective. First of all, the children who had been living in a Hatian orphanage had already in their short lives undergone far more trauma that most of us have to endure in a lifetime. And she viewed it as a the humanitarian rescue mission that it was. As this story was being recounted to me, I asked "And the child knows he's going to his Papa, right?"
And my eyes filled with tears.
Not just for Sami and his rescue to a safe and loving home. But for all of us. We have times in our lives that are truly filled with trauma and drama. The difficulties are real. The sacrifices extreme. And yet, we can find our comfort knowing that our Papa - our Abba Father - has our best interest in mind. He has come to rescue us, and we are on the journey home. To an everlasting safe and loving home.
