My youngest daughter, Hannah, flew to Guatemala on
Saturday with a group from Habitat for Humanity. They've traveled to Central
America to build buildings and install smokeless stoves. Many of the people in
the area cook over open fires in their homes. That equals an unhealthy environment.
The travelers are also exploring a whole new part of our beautiful world.
When Hannah and her sisters were young I prayed for
them to find the path God intended for them. I never dreamed Hannah's life
would include world travel. But it has. I let go and let God and so did she.
For any young mom's reading this, I want to tell you—it's not easy. Sometimes
it's downright hard. On Saturday when they were flying I was a bit anxious. When
I saw the message "Here safe and sound," my heart filled with relief.
Prayer and journaling are two of the best tools
I've found to help me put aside the worry and entrust my children to God. This
goes for grandchildren, too. I've learned to push worry aside and pray, pray,
pray. That's when God brings me peace.
As a parent, we don't know where the Lord will
lead our children. Encouraging them and guiding them is part of our job.
Noticing their strengths and interests and giving them opportunity is a must.
Letting them go to travel God's path is hard. But oh the joy I've found in each
of our children's journeys. I'm proud of all of them and excited to see where
the Lord continues to leads.
If you'd like to follow Hannah's adventure, she
writes a blog: http://hlwick.blogspot.com/2017/01/guatemala-sunday-recap.html
Prayers are always appreciated!
I'd love to hear your thoughts, too.