We had the warmest greeting our first day coming to meet the
kids at the orphanage. They bombarded us with hugs and screams of “we welcome
you!” After only 3 days, they’ve already captured my heart. We introduced
ourselves that night and each of them did too. One little girl said “My name is
Vanessa, that means butterfly.”
🙂
Butterflies have been
a huge theme for me on the race. It started with the butterfly I saw at
training camp (which I wrote a blog about… see blog titled “Training Camp”). In
each country I’ve seen a butterfly at a particularly precious time… when my
heart was in need of some sweet Father/daughter time. When I am in desperate
need to hear His voice of comfort, affirmation, and love, He seems to send me a
butterfly. He continues to whisper to me through His beautiful creation “Be
still your heart, Kris. I’m still here and I’ve got this.”
This month, in Uganda, He is speaking that to me through
these children. Vanessa has had an extremely hard childhood. She is only 4
years old and has had to watch her mother suffer from AIDS. She and her three
siblings (all under the age of 8) were living on their own for 2 months before
the orphanage took them in. Vanessa is a beautiful girl. I’ve noticed that she
lives in such a carefree way. She bounces around the orphanage with glee, with
not a care in the world. I have realized that God wants me to just live like
this child; carefree, trusting that He delights in being my Provider.
A butterfly has to go through a mess of a time before it can
become beautiful and experience the freedom of flying. How ridiculous would it
be for a butterfly to continue trudging around like the caterpillar it used to
be? When it can spread its wings and bring glimpses of beauty to everyone who
encounters it!?
I think too many Christians camp out in a constant state of
caterpillar. We are born again. We have been transformed. We can soar! But I
know for me, living in the fullness
of Christ seemed equally as hard/scary/inconvenient as it did marvelous. I’d been spending way too much time acting
like a caterpillar when He formed me into a butterfly long ago.
It’s His desire for us to soar, not just mosey our way
through life. For us to experience true freedom!
God has placed a butterfly in Budaka. She is precious, she
is joyful, she is carefree. And she is teaching me more and more about Him.
“Live carefree before
the Father. He is most careful with you.”
Little Butterfly, Vanessa and me.
