MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE

From Susan:

We hear it everywhere...."Make the invisible visible." 

Like in this moving UNICEF clip with Liam Neeson...

JUSTICE: Make the invisible visible

And we all in our deepest of hearts agree--that such violence against children cannot be hidden; it must be made visible. 
It must be exposed, and perpetrators must come to justice. We are grateful for organizations like the International Justice Mission which do just this. Make the invisible visible - by bringing JUSTICE. 

Yet, when I saw this clip, I thought about much more than justice. I thought about the faces of many of the children we know and love, who have experienced precisely these types of heartbreaking injustices; and we want so much more for them than to make the invisible visible by reigning in justice. 

LOVE: Make the invisible visible

Rather than stopping with #ENDviolence, we aspire to #REPLACEviolence! 

It is the kind of thing our friend Jedd Medefind, from Christian Alliance for Orphans, speaks about with elegant simplicity when he describes what God the Father did when He adopted us into His own family. God was making His invisible love visible through His Son, who is described as the "visible image of the invisible God." (Colossians 1:15)
  

OUR PART: Make the invisible visible

All this means what we see as mundane is actually monumental.
We, too, like our Lord, get to particpate with eloquent simplicity in making the invisible love of God visible to our children, and many others.
  
So, we are writing the next chapters of the #REPLACEviolence story.  

As summer with all its delights and demands approaches, I want to remind YOU what you are really doing.
You get to make the invisible visible through 
meals cooked 
trash emptied 
play supervised 
sunblock applied 
adventures dared 
conflicts resolved 
swim practice attended 
stories read 
apologies proffered 

So, Lord, this summer, we ask for eyes that see, feet that walk, hands that act, and hearts that delight in these daily invitations to make eternal contributions to REPLACING VIOLENCE WITH LOVE!  We want to copy You.

It is our call.
It is our privelege,
It is our passion.

Amen and amen.
  

HOPE AT HOME 2014:  Make the invisible visible 

So, let us close with one more thing. As those who spent many years constantly, endlessly, and exhaustedly giving out unmerited favor and nurture to needy children, we remember wishing there was someone who felt like it was their job to pour out the heavenly Father's love, tangibly, on US! 

We often walked on the edge of burnout!  

So, the goal of our pastors, elders, adoptive parents and volunteers is simply to lavish the Father's love on dear parents like YOU, who are always giving out. We believe that God will so Refresh and Renew and Restore you at our annual Hope at Home conference in September, that you will return home transformed anew by the Lord's personal and specific love, precisely for you and for each member of your family. 

It is what happens every year!  

Registration is open, so feel free sign up any time!

We love you!

Susan, Brian, Beth, Stephen, and all those who will be serving you at Hope at Home 2014!!