Perspective

While in Albania we struggled to feel like we were making a difference or how to handle things not being as we thought they would be. However, I have been reminded that God's ways are not our ways, and only He knows our purpose and impact. In processing some of our experiences yesterday with Katie and Beth we were talking about how all of our men ended up leading the childrens' groups during our camp. This was definitely unexpected for them, yet the children in Albania loved having their American (male) group leaders! Yesterday, God helped me to suddenly make a connection. We were told repeatedly how uninvolved most Albanian men are in childraising. In their culture almost all childcare responsibilities typically fall on the women. And I was struck by the impact of having these American Dads engage these children and be so actively involved in their education, games, crafts and general care for 3 solid days. For many of these children this might have been the first time they experienced men taking an active role in nurturing and developing their faith! What an amazing impact this might have be if the hearts of some of these children were tendered to being actively engaged in relationships in a way that has not been culturally typical! .... "Holy God to whom all praise is due, Lord I stand in awe of You!"