9,000 miles

I've been thinking about Africa all morning. Really, I've been thinking about Africa nonstop for a month now, but it's especially on my heart this morning.

When I woke up this morning, I did what I always do and turned over to grab my iPad and check out what's going on with Facebook and Twitter and I saw a link from Lisa-Jo Baker saying she's heading home to her native South Africa for Christmas and is campaigning to raise $1,000 to take gifts to 120 children in a orphanage.

Now, I know that Lisa-Jo's probably not going to the orphanage where my child is, although I suppose it is possible, but I'm so grateful that there are people who are looking out for children like mine, who haven't forgotten them.

A few moments after I saw Lisa-Jo announce that she was nearing her goal of $1,000 (after less than 24 hours!) I read a post at Crystal Stine's blog asking "What is your God-sized dream?"

I sat there for a moment thinking. Of course, I want to adopt children, as many as God has planned for me, but there's something more lurking underneath the surface, waiting for me to claim it and say "THIS is my dream, my God-sized dream that only HE can fulfill."

I've long thought about becoming a doctor and of becoming an adoptive parent, of caring for children who may not have a family or the resources to care for themselves. The core dream always is, though, to champion for children who are sick, or lonely, or without a family.

I want to open my heart to as many of these children as I possibly can, but just as importantly I want to have a bigger vision, a God-sized vision of championing for all orphaned children (10,000,000 in Africa alone!) and getting these children to their forever families too, not just the children who will join my family.

I don't know what this means for me yet, but today I'm saying my God-sized dream is being an advocate for orphaned children, to set the lonely children in families; a God-sized dream that only HE can fulfill.