Dear friends,
I would like to ask those of you who would to pray for these children. The other day while we were shopping for shoes, Salifu wanted me to purchase a very small pair for his baby brother. I told him we would send stuff back for his mom and brother with him when he returns to Sierra Leone. Both he and Francis were adamant about not returning. Who can blame them? What have they ever known but want, sorrow and fear. They want me to return with them. They want our whole family to come. I am sure they even want the dog to come.
Each day these two boys grow healthier and happier. Daily, they anchor themselves more deeply into the depths of our hearts. Salifu and my father have the whole grandparent/grandson thing going very strong. They love playing with my brother's little baby, Ellie. Yesterday, I had a fairly serious accident. I splashed full strength garden poison is one of my eyes. I saw how dear I have become to them as well. Salifu was crying he was so concerned for me. They love us as we love them. They are like my own biological children.
How can I send them back? How can I say good by to those little smiles and bright eyes. I said I wanted my heart to break when they left, but it appears the process is already starting.
There is no clean solution to this problem. Please pray for God's direction. He got me into this and he must have had a plan from the beginning of what the next step would be. If sending them back is the right thing to do, then perhaps we can establish some sort of orphanage or school for them to live at. I don't have any answers. I wept last night in bed thinking about the day I will need to put them on a plane. Please pray that God, who loves them too, will show us his way.
Sorry if this sounds a bit glum. It's raining outside today, and it seems to be the same sort of weather inside my soul.
Blessings,
Ann