In the Gap

Our great friend, Joel Fouse, was traveling through Ethiopia this last week. I knew he was spending most of his time outside of Addis Ababa, but as I sat propped up in a rocking chair with bronchitis in the middle of the night, I realized joel would be back in Addis to fly home. As a long shot, I sent him a Facebook message to ask him about his time in Addis. Eight hours ahead, Joel just happened to be at an Internet cafe to get online. He replied almost immediately that he would have a day and a half in Addis and happily agreed to go meet with our boys. In the late of the day, Joel had his driver transport him to Kolfe Orphanage. The manager was gone for the day so Joel couldn't get into the compound. Our nine year old came out to meet with him and wait for Our oldest, who soon joined them. It is the rainy season in Ethiopia, so it was pouring. Joel put the boys in his drivers car to talk with them. Joel told them of our love for them and that we were working hard to get them home, prayed with our boys, hugged them, and took three pictures. It was a short visit, but Joel drove out of his way to spend a few moments with two boys who wait and wait for their family to come for them. Those few moments of connection with someone we know and love to two boys we love brought the life sustaining power of hope. Hope sustains, hope preserves, hope strengthens. Joel's words of reassurance that he knew our boys parents and that we were coming for them, Joel's words of prayer on their behalf, Joel's arms wrapped around them on our behalf brought hope. Without hope, the heart grows sick. Hope is powerful. Joel stood in the gap halfway around the world, being our hands and voice and heart. God reached through such a gesture and sustained our boys. Our oldest, especially, needs hope. He has said to us, "my heart misses you. When will you come for me? What day and month will you come?" and with such words our hearts break. How we wish we could tell him we are on our way now. Time and process are hard concepts for children. They need tangible gestures of hope. Only God can bridge the gap and offer others to stand in the gap for us until the day we run toward our sons and throw our arms around them. Will you stand in the gap in prayer? With you stand in the gap in giving? Will you stand in the gap by sharing out story with others? Our oldest son turns 15 in September. Times slipping away. We need believers to stand in the gap in prayer. Our sons need hope. How grateful we are to Joel for standing in the gap for us to our boys. The beautiful part is that we did the same for their oldest child. When we picked up Josh and Julianna, we knew Joel and Andi's daughters were in the orphanage waiting. In the baby room where Julianna had lived, we found their teenage daughter sitting on a bottom bunk, holding a baby, helping the nannies. I sat beside her, telling her I was a friend of her mom and dad. Tears flowed immediately down her face and she said "please tell them that I love them and miss them." I grabbed her hand, seeing her deep sadness and said, "They are coming for you. They will be here soon." I hugged her. I told her to keep praying to Jesus and holding onto Him and we left with our two children. It was short but it imparted hope and gave her sustaining strength for the wait. Let us all stand in the gap for God to a dying world. The world is desperate for hope, strength, and sustaining faith. It need not be a lengthy message... A sack of groceries for a single mom, paying for a young family's meal at a restaurant you see across the room, spending a few moments listening to a widow share about what she loved about her husband, a hug for a child at church that may rarely feel love, giving money toward an Children coming home to a family. Standing in the gap for Jesus while a hurting people wait His return is so powerful. It brings hope. It sustains. It brings life giving strength. How will you stand in the gap today?