This is Sarah holding a picture of our family, and Isaiah holding Flat Stanley. You may have heard of Flat Stanley. He was crushed flat in a bulletin board accident, but other than flatness, he is fine. Flat Stanley gets to go on many adventures because he is small and flat. Put him in an envelope, and he can travel almost anywhere. Our first grade class does a fun project sending him to friends or relatives who then record his adventure and travels and send him back to the 1st grader. Gracie sent Flat Stanley to her best friend in New Jersey and to her brother and sister in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
His New Jersey trip is complete; he saw snow, went bowling, took in gymnastics and swim lessons, and enjoyed a birthday party. Our friends knitted him a scarf and made him a new outfit. He enjoyed his NJ trip very much. His DRC trip was pretty short, but he learned quite a bit about life. First of all he learned that children can not always be with their families.
Flat Stanley learned that not all children live in homes with their mom and dad. Some children, lots and lots of children, live in orphanages. An orphanage is a sort of a temporary home. Some orphanages have beds for the children. Sarah and Isaiah are blessed to have a bed, but in many orphanages, children do not have beds. They have to sleep on the floor, sometimes in dirt. They have two bathrooms, one for the boys, and one for the girls, kind of like at school! They have a kitchen and ladies who cook for them, feed them, and take care of them. At the orphanage the bigger kids help take care of the little kids and babies. They hold them and watch over them.
At the orphanage they do not always have water, and they are usually thirsty. It is hot there with no air conditioning like we have here. Sarah and Isaiah eat regularly, but many kids in orphanages don't get to eat very much at all. They do not have many clothes or sometimes own their own shoes, but when they get something, like a piece of candy or a shirt or shoes at Christmas, they are very thankful. There are not many places to sit or play, but they do get to go to school and learn which is a huge blessing. Many children in DRC never get to go to school.
The biggest difference with an orphanage home and their forever home is that in a forever home there are parents who love them and hold them and care for them. They have a mommy and daddy who take them to the doctor when they are sick, celebrate with them when they learn to read or ride a bike, and make sure they learn about God. Sarah and Isaiah have a family and a home. They just can't get here yet.
Sarah and Isaiah told Flat Stanley that they are waiting to go home to their family, and that they have been waiting a very long time. They long to be tucked in at night, read too, snuggled with, treated as the precious little people that they are. They eagerly wait to be loved and adored by their forever family. We anxiously anticipate their homecoming.
Flat Stanley is still in the DRC. He hopes that very soon he and Sarah and Isaiah can all come HOME. Flat Stanley learned to pray for all children who need families. He also learned that even though he is flat, he is very blessed to have what he has.
What Flat Stanley learned about temporary home and forever home is true for all of us.
Maybe when we are all finally Home, rejoicing in heaven with God, we will be able to fully understand what these orphans already know is true.
"For this world is not our permanent home, we are looking forward to a home yet to come." Hebrews 13:14
His New Jersey trip is complete; he saw snow, went bowling, took in gymnastics and swim lessons, and enjoyed a birthday party. Our friends knitted him a scarf and made him a new outfit. He enjoyed his NJ trip very much. His DRC trip was pretty short, but he learned quite a bit about life. First of all he learned that children can not always be with their families.
Flat Stanley learned that not all children live in homes with their mom and dad. Some children, lots and lots of children, live in orphanages. An orphanage is a sort of a temporary home. Some orphanages have beds for the children. Sarah and Isaiah are blessed to have a bed, but in many orphanages, children do not have beds. They have to sleep on the floor, sometimes in dirt. They have two bathrooms, one for the boys, and one for the girls, kind of like at school! They have a kitchen and ladies who cook for them, feed them, and take care of them. At the orphanage the bigger kids help take care of the little kids and babies. They hold them and watch over them.
At the orphanage they do not always have water, and they are usually thirsty. It is hot there with no air conditioning like we have here. Sarah and Isaiah eat regularly, but many kids in orphanages don't get to eat very much at all. They do not have many clothes or sometimes own their own shoes, but when they get something, like a piece of candy or a shirt or shoes at Christmas, they are very thankful. There are not many places to sit or play, but they do get to go to school and learn which is a huge blessing. Many children in DRC never get to go to school.
The biggest difference with an orphanage home and their forever home is that in a forever home there are parents who love them and hold them and care for them. They have a mommy and daddy who take them to the doctor when they are sick, celebrate with them when they learn to read or ride a bike, and make sure they learn about God. Sarah and Isaiah have a family and a home. They just can't get here yet.
Sarah and Isaiah told Flat Stanley that they are waiting to go home to their family, and that they have been waiting a very long time. They long to be tucked in at night, read too, snuggled with, treated as the precious little people that they are. They eagerly wait to be loved and adored by their forever family. We anxiously anticipate their homecoming.
Flat Stanley is still in the DRC. He hopes that very soon he and Sarah and Isaiah can all come HOME. Flat Stanley learned to pray for all children who need families. He also learned that even though he is flat, he is very blessed to have what he has.
What Flat Stanley learned about temporary home and forever home is true for all of us.
Maybe when we are all finally Home, rejoicing in heaven with God, we will be able to fully understand what these orphans already know is true.
"For this world is not our permanent home, we are looking forward to a home yet to come." Hebrews 13:14