Hold Us Together

"Love, will, hold us together. Make us a shelter to weather the storm, and I'll be my brother's keeper, so the whole world will know that we're not alone."

Matt Maher, "Hold Us Together"

My parents leave for EE in 10 days. Excited as I am, ready as I think I am, it's still....

Uh, freaky.

My parents are beyond devoted to us. They homeschool me, my little brother Josh, and my little sister Gab, on top of raising Addisu (who is a handful with a capital "H"). They can be up until 1 in the morning working on Lesson Plans, Adoption Paperwork (which seems quite often in our house :D ), or just about anything you can imagine. Not having them around is going to be majorly difficult for us kids. And what will my parents be leaving for, you ask? Eastern Europe. In the dead of Winter. In the middle of nowhere. For a rescue mission to a government-run orphanage. Need I explain more?

Besides that, I just read Mrs. Nalle's latest post. It is not for the faint of heart. It is not for those who are unaware of what happens in institutions in Eastern Europe. It literally makes those "in-depth, never-before-seen" clips that news crews get look like the "happy" side of things compared to what she saw. In retrospect, it really is amazing to see how someone who just stumbled upon a little website could become a window into institutional life less than a year later. It's also amazing that a tiny little website could spawn into a huge community with a heart for adoption of those least known orphans with the smallest voice. But there's one thing that's so amazing beyond all of this: we're held together simply by love.

Yep, people, there's no question about it. Nothing more powerful than love could hold a community of people, towns, cities, states, even countries apart, like love could. All of those orphans, on the site or not, are held in their Father's arms by love. In the Baby houses, the Institutions, everywhere, God has linked together through His Love for the helpless. This same love, to me, is going to be the glue that holds my family together when we're in our various states of travel.

I know to some of you this is evident from the get-go. To some of you, this is the truth driving you daily to advocate for orphans. But for me, simple little realizations like this are what make all of the difference. It breaks my heart to hear stories like what the Nalles saw, or that or that some orphans are still not being aided, but you don't have to observe the Reece's Rainbow Community long to see how God is fashioning this community with His hands daily. So to me, no matter where I am in relation to the rest of my family, or where an orphan in need of a home is ot their Forever Family, Love will hold us together.