Hope of Love

This week I was cold for the first time since moving to Guatemala. 

We spent four days in a mountain village, drinking hot chocolate, playing Settlers of Catan (well, the boys, not me), eating delicious food, jumping on the trampoline and enjoying the encouragement and fun of time spent with beloved friends.  It was the best week of my whole year. 

We prayed with our friends, for their ministry of training village pastors and for our house of prayer.  We prayed for each other’s marriages and children, and then of course, as we always ask people to pray—they prayed for our future adopted children. 

My sweet friend Bethany asked the Lord to put the “hope of love” in our children’s hearts.  Knowing that our children may already be alive and in an orphanage somewhere, I often pray that they will be cared for and have food and a bed to sleep in.  I pray for their salvations and that God will bring them into our home soon… but Bethany put into words what I am truly praying for in all the variations.  

Somewhere in Guatemala there is, or will be, a little child that the Lord has reserved for our family.  I long for the day we are united, but until then, I pray that they will be filled with hope of love.  That they would know, somehow, deep in their hearts that God loves them, is with them, and has prepared a family to receive them.  I pray they would feel hope, no matter how hopeless the situation which orphaned them. 

God loved me and my family.  He loves my children who have yet to come to me.  He has helped Dave and I build a stable, joy-filled home.  This week as I reveled in the happiness of spending time with our friends and their kids, I saw the Lord’s heart for family.  I felt His pleasure that we are raising our sons (Bethany and her hubby have two boys) to follow Him. 

He is preparing us to receive His blessing… but for now we pray for hope.

The hope of love. 

Our attempt at a family photo, with the highest point in Central America behind us.  

Tailgate party after hiking up the big hill (in the background of the picture) 

Dinner time!  

Watching Elf and eating homemade apple pie as part of our Christmas party

The boy's side of the table, where they played 9 rounds of Settlers.  Bethany and I took over the other side of the table and made jewlery and paper boxes.