My husband's grandmother is a sweet little thing. And I mean literally "little" when she would be pushing for 4 1/2' tall and 85 lbs. Our little Bug (kid #3) takes after her great grandma's tiny stature but they both have a great big heart and boundless understandings of the true treasures in life. All of the grand-kids, and now great grand-children too, often measure themselves in comparison to "G.G" (Great Grandma) and near 8 or 9 years old, they've won the privilege to say, "I'm as tall as G.G."
G.G. has amazing stories to tell about her life growing up in a small town, her husband overseas fighting in World War II while she was home in the states giving birth to their first born son. G.G. kept all the letters her husband wrote to her during the war including the one that read, "war over?" on the outside of the envelope. He did make it home again to hold his little boy and the family enjoyed a simple life together. She tells about her times riding the train in to town, a mere 20 miles away, but back then it was a full day to take the train, visit town, and catch the train back home again. Her stories fascinate me just thinking of the ways of life in those times.
Last month, G.G., now 93 years old, had a stroke. Todd, her grandson, went to the hospital to visit with her, talk, and pray with her. They had an amazing conversation about our international adoption process and it goes a little something like this.
Todd was telling his grandma about how heavily God laid it on our hearts to adopt internationally, statistics about the world wide orphan crisis, and where we currently are in our process to adopt siblings from Ethiopia. She asked some easy questions and she said how she will love them like they were her own and can't wait to meet them. In her wisdom acquired by her years of life and her deep love for the Lord she also said:
"When I was a young mother God called me and my generation to love our children and take care of our families. That is all that I felt responsible for and all the further I took the call of a mother's love. Now, you have a responsibility under God to take care of the children of the world because He has shown it to you. You see, I could never see the world as you see it. God has given your generation a greater responsibility to reach the world."
Think about it: Grandma never knew what was going on outside of what the local newspaper provided information about. She never knew what was going on across the ocean in foreign lands. It wasn't common to know how people were treated or how people lived in poverty around the globe. Word spread by way of newspapers, radio, letters by mail, and later film cameras and foreign news coverage was announced by way of the towns people going to the movie theater to hear the current events from the War. Until the mid to late 60's with the media correspondence to the Vietnam War were eyes opened to the realities beyond her home sweet home. There was no Internet, no cell phones, no Google Earth to zoom in on any location around the world- No wonder the world was such a great big place!
Now the world has shrunk. In the one day's time that it used to take G.G. to walk to the train station, catch a train to town, visit, and come back home again, we can travel 1/2 way around the world. I don't think there is a location on the globe where people couldn't reach people in 48 hours by traveling in person, and let's not forget an instant Skype message via Internet, shooting an e-mail, or text.
Wow, we live in a very small place with very real people who have great big needs. We have the responsibility under God's authority to care for those people, teach them about the hope Jesus Christ offers, to reach out to others, under the great commission: GO and make disciples of alllllll nations. It is now very possible and we are called to this standard, called to obey.
Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"
G.G. recovered well from her stroke in December, but just days ago suffered another stroke that has left her unable to speak or communicate by writing. We are praying for the Lord's will to unfold, for peace, and comfort for her. We are so very thankful for the last conversation she had with Todd in sharing her heart and her insights to our adoption. Her entire family, her children, their children, and their children, and generations on are, and will continue, to reap blessing from the genuine faith, love, and closeness to the Lord that G.G. holds.
G.G. has amazing stories to tell about her life growing up in a small town, her husband overseas fighting in World War II while she was home in the states giving birth to their first born son. G.G. kept all the letters her husband wrote to her during the war including the one that read, "war over?" on the outside of the envelope. He did make it home again to hold his little boy and the family enjoyed a simple life together. She tells about her times riding the train in to town, a mere 20 miles away, but back then it was a full day to take the train, visit town, and catch the train back home again. Her stories fascinate me just thinking of the ways of life in those times.
Last month, G.G., now 93 years old, had a stroke. Todd, her grandson, went to the hospital to visit with her, talk, and pray with her. They had an amazing conversation about our international adoption process and it goes a little something like this.
Todd was telling his grandma about how heavily God laid it on our hearts to adopt internationally, statistics about the world wide orphan crisis, and where we currently are in our process to adopt siblings from Ethiopia. She asked some easy questions and she said how she will love them like they were her own and can't wait to meet them. In her wisdom acquired by her years of life and her deep love for the Lord she also said:
"When I was a young mother God called me and my generation to love our children and take care of our families. That is all that I felt responsible for and all the further I took the call of a mother's love. Now, you have a responsibility under God to take care of the children of the world because He has shown it to you. You see, I could never see the world as you see it. God has given your generation a greater responsibility to reach the world."
Think about it: Grandma never knew what was going on outside of what the local newspaper provided information about. She never knew what was going on across the ocean in foreign lands. It wasn't common to know how people were treated or how people lived in poverty around the globe. Word spread by way of newspapers, radio, letters by mail, and later film cameras and foreign news coverage was announced by way of the towns people going to the movie theater to hear the current events from the War. Until the mid to late 60's with the media correspondence to the Vietnam War were eyes opened to the realities beyond her home sweet home. There was no Internet, no cell phones, no Google Earth to zoom in on any location around the world- No wonder the world was such a great big place!
Now the world has shrunk. In the one day's time that it used to take G.G. to walk to the train station, catch a train to town, visit, and come back home again, we can travel 1/2 way around the world. I don't think there is a location on the globe where people couldn't reach people in 48 hours by traveling in person, and let's not forget an instant Skype message via Internet, shooting an e-mail, or text.
Wow, we live in a very small place with very real people who have great big needs. We have the responsibility under God's authority to care for those people, teach them about the hope Jesus Christ offers, to reach out to others, under the great commission: GO and make disciples of alllllll nations. It is now very possible and we are called to this standard, called to obey.
Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"
G.G. recovered well from her stroke in December, but just days ago suffered another stroke that has left her unable to speak or communicate by writing. We are praying for the Lord's will to unfold, for peace, and comfort for her. We are so very thankful for the last conversation she had with Todd in sharing her heart and her insights to our adoption. Her entire family, her children, their children, and their children, and generations on are, and will continue, to reap blessing from the genuine faith, love, and closeness to the Lord that G.G. holds.
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