Hold on...but not too tightly!

Life in Guatemala is quite different from what we were used to in Troy, OH.  One of those many differences is the crime rate.  Some of the most common crimes affecting tourists and foreigners in Guatemala are petty thefts like pick-pocketing and purse snatching.  In crowded areas, it is very common for people to get their purses or bags slashed from the back and wallets removed.  This has happened to three of our daughters and to several of our friends.   Quite a few of our friends have been robbed at gunpoint or knife point.  Many of them have had their cars broken into and items stolen.  This is just a part of life in Guatemala…a part that we don’t like, but of which we are becoming accustomed.  

We often tell our teams, and remind our children, of these practical ways to cut down on their chances of being robbed: 

“Hold on to your belongings!...

Keep your wallet and phone in your front pocket, not your back pocket.
Keep your purse and bags in front of you and hold on to them with your arm.
Don’t take anything with you that you don’t need.
Don’t pull out your money or phone in public places unless necessary.
Don’t lay your purse, phone, or camera down on the table unless your hand is on it.”

“…But don’t hold on too tightly! 

If someone pulls a knife or gun on you and asks for your money, phone, camera, bag, etc., don’t argue or fight back.  Just give him what he wants.  That way you have a much better chance of walking away alive and uninjured."
                         

Hold on, but not too tightly.  This is not just practical advice about our belongings, but it is also a lesson that God has been teaching me about our children.

 

Years ago, when we were about to lose another one of our long-term foster children, I remember telling a friend that this was one of God’s children and that He had given him to us for a short time.  At that time, God reminded me that ALL of our children were His, and we were given each one of them for a short period of time…some for a few months, some for a couple of years, and some until they reached adulthood.  But they all belong to Him to put in our home and take out of our home as He sees fit.

Now, years later, as our children are reaching adulthood, God is again reminding me to hold on to them…hug them, feed them, cloth them, discipline them, teach them, mentor them, watch them grow in wisdom and stature, pray with and for them,…and then let them go.  Holding too tightly can cause damage to both them and us.

Over recent years, we have gradually been loosening our hold on our five adult daughters.

We have already let go of ASHLEY (age 22).  About two-and a-half years ago, she moved out of our home and is now living in Troy, OH with her husband, Dustin, and son, Tristan.  They work at Walmart and ConAgra Foods, respectively.  Tristan will be 2 years old this July.

This past January, we had to release our grip on CARISSA (age 19).  She is in Uganda, Africa right now, serving as a missionary nanny for a family there. She is also preparing for her future and permanent ministry in that country.  On June 11^th, Carissa will be returning to Guatemala for a short time.  Then, after doing some speaking and fundraising in the States, she plans to return to Uganda to spread the love of God by opening up a group home for special needs girls.  Because Carissa is so young and this is her first time to live away from home, it has been quite difficult to let go and send her alone to the other side of the world.  But she is doing well and God is paving the way for her future ministry. 

In just under three weeks from now, we will also be loosening our hold on TEISHA (age 19) for the first time.  On April 24^th, we will be putting her on a flight to the United States.  She will be living in Troy, OH for the next four months while working at Culvers to save some money for school.  Then in September, Teisha will be starting a two-year program at Word of Life Bible Institute in New York.  This will provide her with some preparation for her future ministry in Uganda, Africa.  She hopes to teach and disciple women and children there to a deeper knowledge and love of God.

KRISHAUNA (almost 22 years old) went away to college a few  years ago, but then returned home so she could move here to Guatemala with us.  She has continued her education with on-line classes through Grand Canyon University, studying early childhood and special education.  It is taking her longer than she had hoped to get her degree because finances only allow her to study half-time.  Krishauna is also getting ready to leave home for a while again.  On May 31st, she will be moving for 6 months to a Christian orphanage (Casa Bernabe) a couple of hours from here.  There, while getting some much needed Spanish practice, she will be serving as a helper in one of the girls’ homes and working with the school.  Her long term plans are to serve the Lord here in Guatemala by working with special needs children.

We also began the letting go process of our oldest daughter, BRITTNEY (almost 23 years old), a few years ago as she went away to college.  But she, too, transferred her early childhood/special education training  to on-line classes at Grand Canyon University so that she could begin her ministry here in Guatemala.  Brittney hopes to finish her formal education with the next 9-12 months.  This will enable her to begin her future ministry in San Pablo La Laguna, Guatemala,  spreading the love of Jesus through her work with special needs children and their families.  This is a very low-income area of the country that is in great need of missionaries and people to work with their special needs children.  She is very excited as she sees that God is already paving the way for her ministry there.

It is difficult, at times, to let go of our children.  However, God asked us to raise them from infancy to childhood to adulthood.  He entrusted us to introduce them to Him, teach them, train them, and equip them to do His work.  Now, as I see them getting ready to head out the door, ready to take on the call and the work that He has prepared for them to do, I feel a sense of accomplishment.  “God, we have done what You have asked us to do to the best of our ability.  We held onto our girls for the years that you asked us to hold on.  Now we release them to do Your work.  Please go with each of them to these three different countries, as only You can do, and take care of them better than we ever could.  Thank you, Father, for our girls.  Thank you that we have the freedom let go because we know that You will hold them forever.”

*Each of the girls who are going into full-time ministry have a blog of their own.  If you interested in following them and learning more about what God is doing in and through them, please see their links listed to the right on this page.