Saying It All

I had the chance to visit with some of the girls from the children’s home yesterday. It was after church, and we had a few minutes together while they waited for a ride.

I heard from one of the girls who is going home for good tomorrow. Another is going home for Christmas vacation, and others had other things to tell. All in all, it was a great conversation, and I got to catch up a little on the lives of the girls we once cared for in our household.

I thought on the way home about the conversations with the girls, and told my wife that when people deal with other people rather than other things, it can get very emotional very quickly. I still ache for those girls and the needs that they have. I still rejoice with the ones who are making progress. And I know that for every girl we were able to help there at the home, there are hundreds in the world that will never get the chance to make something of themselves and change in ways that will enable them to be the kind of women that God would have them be.

We did a good job at the home. That’s not a boast…that’s the truth. We impacted many lives, not only lives of girls, but of parents, grandparents, school staff, church people, and others. We have no regrets about the work we did there, the decisions we made there, or the turn of events that resulted in our dismissal from there.

One of the girls we cared for is now back home with her parents. They reside in the Wichita area and remain in contact with us. The dad wanted to speak at a public fundraiser a few months ago. The words of that parent to Pat and me that night as he spoke to the gathered crowd say it all. “You gave us back our daughter. Thank you.”