~Home Sweet Home~

Well I am now home. It is such a bitter sweet thing. I absolutely love my family and SO happy that I can be home with them! However, I am completely sad that I am not at Door of Hope with the babies and all the wonderful people that I met...

Many tears fell from my eyes as I walked out of Door of Hope. As I was leaving they brought me my two babies that I absolutely fell in love with. I held one at a time and said goodbye. It was so hard. Saying goodbyes are not my favorite thing. Well as I got in the car and was about to drive away they brought one of my babies out and he smiled at me as I was leaving. It was SO hard BUT I know that God is definitely taking care of me! I will never forget the faces of those babies.

This blog is going to be short but hopefully it will give you an idea of what I learned and did. I wanted to write this blog just to kind of “debrief” on my whole trip. It was amazing how God really showed Himself to me at Door of Hope. I know that He is calling me to missions and I am SO excited to see where He is going to take me.

Each baby, volunteer, auntie and staff made a lasting impact on my life. I can honestly say that even though there were challenges and things at Door of Hope that were hard at some points I know that for a fact each of those things allowed me to grow and learn for the future. Every day I was there in the back of my I knew that someday I will have an orphanage, if it’s God’s will. As I read my devotions and books I felt God calling me and just burdening me with the thought of all the babies that do not have homes. The babies they find in trash bags, card-board boxes and some other horrible ways. I want to be there for them one day and give them a temporary home. God has really been laying on my heart orphans for a long time and just seeing Door of Hope I know that God has a plan for me in the future.

Update about the babies. Well if I get started on one baby I will want to talk about ALL of them but I will refrain and just tell you about a few. Shepherd is about 6 months and he has just grown and grown just in one month. This adorable child escaped a likely HIV diagnosis before coming to us at the Door of Hope. When I first met Shepherd he was VERY small for his age, quiet, non-expressive, and refused to stretch out of a swaddled (arms crossed, legs crossed) position. Over just a few weeks he now smiles, giggles, screams for kisses, rolls to his side, kicks his feet, plays peek-a-boo, holds his own bottle, and interacts with interest. It has been an amazing and humbling blessing to be a part of how much he has developed. The second baby I want to tell you about, which I have mentioned him before, is Shadrack. Well I taught him how to say the first letter of my name:) He now says, “kuh”. It was so cool to see him grow and learn how to say things and just his personality really began to shine. He is a year and two months and we are all praying for him that he will be adopted in August.

I never thought I would miss changing another nappie, getting thrown up on at least 15 times a day, bottle time, crying, holding them and etc…but I miss it more than I could imagine. Please just pray for me as I am recovering from the time difference. It is a miracle that I am even up till 8:30 tonight! Also, just keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I am very sad about leaving those babies but I do know for a FACT that God is 

taking care of them.

To close out my blogs for this trip I just wanted to say thank you (for the hundredth time) because all of you who prayed and supported me- I would not have had this experience. A passage that was such an encouragement and basically sums up this trip is Psalms 91. It reminded me that God is watching over and protecting me and all the babies. I have to rest in His arms and know that He is God. You all have been such an encouragement and I really am thankful to God for blessing me with such wonderful people. I hope to present to Summit soon. I will let you all know when I am. Until then keep growing and seeking after God:)  Psalm 105:4 “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.”