Fifteen years ago, I gave birth to an amazing child. She burst into this world with a determined resolve to do something.
Over the years those somethings have changed.
As a baby, she was determined to let everyone in every restaurant we ever attempted to eat at, know that she was there. She delighted in shrieking at the top of her voice. Not crying. Not gibber jabbering baby talk. No, her self entertainment choice was baby yelling. She wanted the whole world to know where she was and how delightful it was that she'd found her own voice.
It made me sweat. And then show her the gentle art of human whispering.
Then as a toddler, she headed off to preschool, determined to do everything her own way. When it was time for the school parade, her class decided they would dress up like lady bugs. The teacher handed out 2 red poster board circles to each child and instructed everyone to glue black dots on each circle.
All of the other kids glued dots in a typical preschool willy-nilly fashion. Not Hope.
Her dots were placed exactly on purpose- one straight line of black dots on the front of her costume and one straight line of black dots on the back of her costume. Her lady bug would be nothing if it didn't get it's dots straight.
I made me sweat. And then it made me giggle that we are all truly wonderfully and fearfully unique.
Then one day I turned around and this baby squealing, straight dot adorning lady bug, had grown up. And I found her heart entangled in a love for missions. With that same veracious tenacity by which she's always demanded the most from life, she's now set her sights on Africa. People in a far away bush tribe whom she's never met, have seeped into the depths of her heart and birthed a desire that won't go away.
It's as if they are calling her to come close. And God has said yes, let her go.
It makes me sweat. And then cry tears of joy that my 15 year old daughter could be capable of such maturity at so young an age.
Now don't get me wrong, she is all of 15. Tell her to fold a load of laundry, walk down to the mailbox, or organize her closet and all sorts of excuses will be made. But call the girl to join a missionary family on their trip to a third world land without toilets or modern conveniences of any kind and she'll be moving heaven and earth to sign up.
And she'll be moving heaven and earth to talk her mama into asking her blog readers to please consider praying for her and supporting her.
I'll be honest, I paused when she first asked about this. I'm not great at asking people for financial support. But then I realized to Hope it's not as much about the money as the feeling that friends are going with her. Friends that will see this as an opportunity to serve a forgotten people through one young girl.
My girl.
My girl whom I love enough to let her run straight to the center of God's will and take part of my heart to the other side of the world.
I never knew the strings of a mother's heart could be stretched so far.
So, who is up for taking some of God's love and Hope's hope to Ethiopia this summer? Every prayer will be precious and every penny given priceless as it reminds my girl she's not alone.
If you are interested in financially or prayerfully supporting Hope, please e-mail Holly@Proverbs31.org today and I'll have Hope forward you all the necessary information.
And please don't be alarmed if you start lining up the black dots in your life in two straight lines. It will just be God's reminder to pray for Hope... and evidence that she's found her way into your heart as well.
Over the years those somethings have changed.
As a baby, she was determined to let everyone in every restaurant we ever attempted to eat at, know that she was there. She delighted in shrieking at the top of her voice. Not crying. Not gibber jabbering baby talk. No, her self entertainment choice was baby yelling. She wanted the whole world to know where she was and how delightful it was that she'd found her own voice.
It made me sweat. And then show her the gentle art of human whispering.
Then as a toddler, she headed off to preschool, determined to do everything her own way. When it was time for the school parade, her class decided they would dress up like lady bugs. The teacher handed out 2 red poster board circles to each child and instructed everyone to glue black dots on each circle.
All of the other kids glued dots in a typical preschool willy-nilly fashion. Not Hope.
Her dots were placed exactly on purpose- one straight line of black dots on the front of her costume and one straight line of black dots on the back of her costume. Her lady bug would be nothing if it didn't get it's dots straight.
I made me sweat. And then it made me giggle that we are all truly wonderfully and fearfully unique.
Then one day I turned around and this baby squealing, straight dot adorning lady bug, had grown up. And I found her heart entangled in a love for missions. With that same veracious tenacity by which she's always demanded the most from life, she's now set her sights on Africa. People in a far away bush tribe whom she's never met, have seeped into the depths of her heart and birthed a desire that won't go away.
It's as if they are calling her to come close. And God has said yes, let her go.
It makes me sweat. And then cry tears of joy that my 15 year old daughter could be capable of such maturity at so young an age.
Now don't get me wrong, she is all of 15. Tell her to fold a load of laundry, walk down to the mailbox, or organize her closet and all sorts of excuses will be made. But call the girl to join a missionary family on their trip to a third world land without toilets or modern conveniences of any kind and she'll be moving heaven and earth to sign up.
And she'll be moving heaven and earth to talk her mama into asking her blog readers to please consider praying for her and supporting her.
I'll be honest, I paused when she first asked about this. I'm not great at asking people for financial support. But then I realized to Hope it's not as much about the money as the feeling that friends are going with her. Friends that will see this as an opportunity to serve a forgotten people through one young girl.
My girl.
My girl whom I love enough to let her run straight to the center of God's will and take part of my heart to the other side of the world.
I never knew the strings of a mother's heart could be stretched so far.
So, who is up for taking some of God's love and Hope's hope to Ethiopia this summer? Every prayer will be precious and every penny given priceless as it reminds my girl she's not alone.
If you are interested in financially or prayerfully supporting Hope, please e-mail Holly@Proverbs31.org today and I'll have Hope forward you all the necessary information.
And please don't be alarmed if you start lining up the black dots in your life in two straight lines. It will just be God's reminder to pray for Hope... and evidence that she's found her way into your heart as well.
Home