Look up – always.

Too often when things don’t go as I planned I get frustrated, angry and impatient; in a word, selfish. My plans are the best for me. What this trip has reminded – yet again – is that God has plans for us his children that may not be what we would would choose but are far better then we could know. There are lessons and plans for us that He will reveal in His time when we stop, listen and surrender.

This is my fourth trip to Ethiopia and it got off to a rocky start. We faced several roadblocks getting here and more than once before we finally arrived I thought about turning around and heading home. What joy I would have missed had I followed my plan!

We’ve been working these incredible kids for 7 years and have watched them grow from young children into young adults thriving in God’s love. Some have graduated high school and left for university with futures they never could have imagined before being a part of their new forever families in Bring Love In. Many of these beautiful children had pasts we could never imagine and trauma that only God could heal. This trip we began to hear some of those stories, told by the kids themselves, and it touched me in ways that are profound and transformational. They are not my stories to tell, but theirs, and a few willingly shared those with us on video. I know it will be a blessing to all who hear. Stand by Journey family!

So as our time here continues, I do not know what the future holds, but I do know that God is in control and that is enough. Thank you, Lord, for you hand in our lives and your love in our hearts. In this crazy and chaotic world, it is all we need.

– Chuck