A Difficult Day

Today has been a difficult day here, not just for me but for all of us here. Earlier this week we learned that two of our kids who have been here for over a year and a half, and thus are part of the family had been officially adopted by relatives and would be leaving us soon. Here is the update as written by Amy & Chuy:

"We are on one hand so excited that for the very first time, two children will be leaving this Saturday to live with their new permanent or “forever” family. On the other hand, these two children are very special to us as they have been here over a year and a half. D and T came to live with us in April of 2011. On Saturday, they will go to live with their aunt and her two children as she has worked hard to be able to adopt them! (Our first adoption since Little Ranch opened almost four years ago)

Full Family Photo

It has been beautiful to watch these two children change and grow as God has taken away fears and taught them confidence. We are so blessed to have a great team of people that have worked with them one on one during this time, teaching them to read and write in Spanish as well as English. When D got here he was eight and could not even read in Spanish. Now he can read in both languages. They are both in the third grade and will be integrated into public schools when they leave. From a child that would only sit and watch the other children play, D now plays as hard as the rest. They both learned to ride their bikes this year, too.

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We ask that you please pray with us this week and those to come as they are adjusting to a new situation and we are adjusting to life without them. Also that they will share the love of God they have with others that they meet and the seeds planted during their time here will grow and flourish.
May God give us strength to send them off with much love and excitement."

Showing off some of this week's crafts

The past week has been filled with lots of special moments with the two of them and last night we were able to have a fantastic send off party. But today, it was finally time to for them to go. The rest of the kids said their goodbyes but all refused to watch them go. It has been a somber and emotional remainder of the day. The kids are  upset but are not quite sure how to react, and unfortunately I don't know that many of us grown ups can be of much help because I don't think we are either. I've been so impacted by these two kids, especially D, as I was privileged to witness him grow so much even in the short month I've been here, I  can only imagine what Amy, Chuy, the kids, and others who have been here much longer than myself are going through. We have been comforted this week by Deut 10:18, "He defends the cause of the fatherless...." and so we know they are as always safely in His hands as they leave. We are so happy and excited for them and their new life and family, but still, watching them leave was a heart wrenching moment. And so I echo Amy's request, please keep D & T in your prayers during this exciting and challenging time as they adjust, and those of us missing them too, especially Amy, Chuy and the kids.