He went before us

My husband Tommy and I have recently returned from visiting Monterrey, Mexico where we have been sponsoring two young ladies for the past three years with Back2Back Ministries.  This ministry works with various children's homes in the area of Monterrey (and other locations worldwide) to meet their physical, emotional, spiritual, educational, and social needs.  With each visit we have made, our love continues to deepen for the people who live and serve with this organization.

When Tommy and I went on our first mission trip together three years ago where we met these sweet girls that we sponsor, I must confess with great transparency that we were in a difficult place in our marriage.  We were disconnected and discontent.  As people prayed for our trip, for protection and divine interactions, I confided to my closest sisters in Christ that I needed a miracle for our marriage.  And praise to the Father in heaven who hears and cares - HE answered.  I would like to share the beautiful weaving of moments that bring us to our most recent trip.

This is an excerpt from the blog I posted from 2012 about the day I fell in love with one of the girls we sponsor:

"As I spoke with one girl about school and her hopes for the future, she volunteered some of the painful events of her history that brought her to a children's home.  She cried and so did I.  Her heart was breaking for at least the thousandth time I'm sure and I held her in my arms as the tears flowed.  I felt honored to be the one to comfort her but leaving that day was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I got on the bus and fell into Tommy's arms saying 'I don't want to leave her.'"

What I didn't share from that trip was the evening after I met this girl (we will call her Faith), we attended a worship service.  Like usual, there was some distance between Tommy and I, but I could feel a softening taking place in our hearts.  The song "How He Loves Us" by David Crowder was played and something miraculous happened.  I could tangibly feel our hearts connect and by the power of the Holy Spirit, our marriage was restored.  It is undoubtedly one of the most powerful moments of the Holy Spirit moving that I have ever experienced.  I can testify that our marriage has never been the same.  God heard and answered.

Through the years we have stayed faithful to "not leaving" the girls we met on that trip.  We support them through daily prayers, monthly financial giving, and trips to Monterrey as often as we are able.

Fast forward to our most recent visit.  We were there this time to celebrate the 15th birthday of the other girl we sponsor (we will call her Julie - and I'll have to write about the details of our time with her in another blog).  On our first evening at the Back2Back campus, we were attending a similar worship service like the one I described from 2012.  There were SO many distractions: exhaustion from our night of traveling, sound system problems, torrential thunder storms (the worship service was under a pavilion so the rain blowing in and lightning around us was a little hard to ignore).  I was ready to call it a night but I decided to stick it out a little while longer.

Would you like to guess what song they played? . . . Yes, "How He Loves Us"!!! Tommy and I held hands and tears feel and I immediately recalled that similar moment three years ago.  I could see what God had done in us and through us over that time.

And if that was not enough - God did something even greater (as HE often does).  My precious Faith walks up to Tommy and I while that song was playing and gives me roses!!! She gave us a card which she made by tracing her own hands and wrote us a note of gratitude.  We stood there with Faith between us in a close embrace as tears flowed while giving praise to the Lord.  God whispered to me "you didn't leave." The three of us took communion together and reflected on His goodness and our undeserved favor.

The theme of that trip in 2012 when we met Faith and Julie was taken from Colossians 1:17 which says "He is before all things and in Him, all things hold together."  I recognized the truth of those words on that trip and how He truly went before us at that time and was holding us together.  What I failed to recognize was that He keeps doing that again and again.  He went before us to 2015 and held us together, now with Faith and Julie.  And He continues to do it today, tomorrow, and for all eternity.

In the words of the executive director of Back2Back Ministries, Beth Guckenberger, Jesus is our great "Storyweaver." He weaves a beautiful story through Him, by Him, and for Him into our lives.  He does it for the orphan.  He does it for the widow.  He does it for the abandoned.  He does it for Faith and Julie.  He does it for me.  He does it for you.