A surprise package

Today's mail was chocked full of encouragement. Somewhere between another graduation party invitation (we are honored, praise God for the wonderful teenagers we know that have grown into amazing adults entering this needy world), another precious get-well card for Andy, and the usual junk, the boys and I spied an oddly shaped brown envelope. The return address was from India. The letter was addressed to my middle son- first name only. What in the world? I confess, my husband took the envelope outside to open it, just to make sure there was no anthrax. No kidding. His idea, not mine.

But to our surprise, it was a thank you letter from the little boy who received our Operation Christmas Child box! He not only sent a letter telling us about his faith, family, and interests, but also a picture of his family. We just stared. There he was, and we had touched him some how. It lead to some exciting conversation and thoughts about how God is at work all over the globe. One of our desires for our little ones is for their education to include a more global perspective than I received as a child. I don't remember reading many books or watching many movies that were set in foreign countries. I only visited one foreign country- Ireland- before graduating high school. And I certainly never went on a mission trip, except a week of volunteering at a youth summer camp in downtown- which terrified me. I don't remember having any real regard or appreciation for different customs. It was all just, well, foreign. And as a result, I felt no connection with people who were different from me. What a sad, misrepresented, dull view of the world I had!

So this small glimpse into a people group that we may never visit, but we can befriend, is so wonderful for me, as both a parent and a fellow student. I want my children to have respect, interest, compassion, humility towards all types of people. I would love for them to join us on trips as a family and on short mission trips to far-away lands. But today we were all reminded that our God can use us right here. A little box of goodies, and look what we get in return! A pen pal, hope that the gospel is being spread across the globe, and a glimpse into another land. I saw this quote recently which says it all:

"I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within. "
~Lillian Smith