Ethiopia Trip Update

Well the day finally came and amazingly the kids and I found ourselves dropping Eileen off at Raleigh-Durham Airport. She caught a flight to Washington, D.C. where she met up with Cousin Georgie and they boarded a plane headed for Addis Ababa. How surreal. It is still hard to believe this is happening. What we prayed for is actually coming to pass. Why do we do this? Why do we get surprised when God answers our prayers? Is it because we think He is not able? Or too busy to concern Himself with us? One thing we have learned throughout this journey is that God does not necessarily join us when we set out to do what we think He wants us to do, but rather He blesses us and He uses us for His glory when we join Him in accomplishing His business. As Henry Blackaby says: "If you want to experience God, find out where He is at work and join Him".
This mission and vision of caring for orphans is God's business. We are commanded in James 1:27 to care for the widows and orphans of the world. Why? Because His heart breaks for them. Throughout the Bible, God's heart is reflected in his concern for the fatherless and the widow. When we as believers in Christ all begin to accept responsibility as a mission of the Gospel for the Solomon's of the world, it will radically change how we relate to God. When we truly see the beautiful parallel between the physical adoption of an orphan and our spiritual rescue and adoption by God into His family through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, our hearts will be knitted together with God's. Our family has been radically changed. We have drunk the kool-aid. There is no turning back. Many of you can relate to our journey and many have been obedient to God's leading to partner with us. We praise God for you. The Lord has great things in store for Eileen and Georgie in Ethiopia. Like you, I am anxiously waiting to see how it all unfolds.
Jerry