That was then:
In these pictures, they are still guarded. They are still figuring out if they trust this man they are being told is "Daddy." You see, until the day before, they had never had an earthly father, never known a man in their life that they could call "Daddy."
In these pictures, they are still guarded. They are still figuring out if they trust this man they are being told is "Daddy." You see, until the day before, they had never had an earthly father, never known a man in their life that they could call "Daddy."The whole "daddy" thing was a progression for Isaiah. At first, Rick was "malungu"which means "white man" in their language. Then, Rick became "malume" which means uncle. Then, he progressed to "Daddy." I remember when Isaiah called Rick "daddy" on his own, without being prompted. That was special and real and a symbol of those walls crumbling down.
It really is a beautiful picture when you compare it to our relationships with God. We have wounds in our lives that cause us to keep our distance from Him. As we experience his love, acceptance and receive Him into our lives, he moves to "uncle" and then "Daddy."
What Isaiah and Laila didn't know is that all along God, their Heavenly Father, had a plan beyond any of our imaginations. God had a daddy and mommy and 2 brothers and 2 sisters that had been waiting for them.
We can relate that to God in our lives as well. We can only see the brokenness, but He sees His plan. The first 2 years and 3 months of Isaiah's life and 9 months of Laila's life appear broken, hopeless. All along, even before they were born, God had a plan of hope and a future(Jeremiah 29:11) that involved all of us!! What a privilege. What a blessing. What a testimony of God's love for us.
It may sound like I think that Isaiah and Laila are the lucky ones here. Not so. The amount of blessings, grace, and hope that we have experienced in this process makes us the ones that are truly blessed. It is a journey full of ups and downs, but I would not trade this opportunity for anything, not money or things or even fame.
This is now:
Laila with the blanket from her Grammy.
She always has to have this when she is watching TV
Isaiah with the blanket from his Grammy
He always has to have it while watching his favorite show, "Little Einsteins"
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