Steps of Faith

I think that sometimes God challenges our faith just to see if we will take that initial step of faith that feels like jumping off a ledge. The same way that God tested Abraham when he asked him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Abraham didn’t know what would come next, he didn’t ask why God wanted his only son that he had waited so long for, he didn’t even hesitate. His response was simply responding by God by saying “Here I am” and following God’s instructions. 

I feel that God was putting me through a similar test with Stephanie. We aren’t set up to take such young kids. Many of the children here need almost as much care as a baby does. Our staff and I already have full days and having a baby here pushed all of us to the limit. God put Stephanie in front of me to see how I would respond. 

The logical reaction would have been to think about how hard it would be staying up at night with a baby and then still finding the energy to carry out my other daily responsibilities that come with the other twelve children under our care. Or to think about how hard it is taking such a young child, who is most likely HIV+, who is very fragile and sick and needs special care. God prompted me to meet her immediate needs and I did.

We serve a gracious and merciful God. He knew this was too much for me and the rest of our staff to be able to handle at this time. Because of his love, he doesn’t make us bite off more than we can chew. He rewards our “Here I am” response of faith and provides us with another solution. 

Today we took Stephanie and her older sister Selina to live with their grandmother in an area outside of town called Cherangany.

Selina and her grandmother

Stephanie's grandmother holding her for the first time.

 Their grandmother was disappointed to see that her grandchildren were not being taken care of. We talked with her about Ida and she was totally on our side and thankful that we wanted to help her family. She knows that her daughter is sick and said that she has tried to get her to change her lifestyle, but that is something that Ida has to do for herself. 

The grandmother agreed to take care of Stephanie and Selina. This was the first time she had met Stephanie yet she took her into her loving arms and held her close. She agreed to move closer to town so that we can weekly bring them food and be checking on the progress of the girls. Not only will we be closer to them, but they will also be closer to the hospital in case either of the girls need to go for treatment. 

I am thankful that I still get to be a part of Stephanie’s life and thankful that now both girls will be getting the care they need. We are taking Ida to the hospital tomorrow and we are praying that she makes a quick recovery and will be more responsible and willing to care for her children once she gets healthy. Most of all I am thankful that we serve such a big God who knows each and every one of our needs and limits and provides for us accordingly. Remember that he rewards our faith and will never leave us in free fall when we surrender to him by saying “Here I am.”