Vivienne left today to spend six weeks in China to intern in the clinic of Shepherd's Field Children's Village. She will assist the doctors on staff with special needs orphan's as well as a plethora of other things while she is there.
When she asked if she could go, there were three conditions:
#1 She had to get a job and pay for the trip herself.
#2 She had to get approval from her doctors that she was healthy enough.
#3 She had to work it out with her teachers.
Honestly, I didn't think she would pull it off when I agreed to it. What 16 year old could? But here we are 6 months later and she gone.
She was such a stud as she was searched and her luggage was double scanned during security because of the excessive amount of coffee she was smuggling to Jamie. She was icy calm as she stood in line and her dad gave her every instruction that he could think of for the "just in case" scenarios. She was confident and cool and Karla and I gave her long goodbye hugs in front of the masses of people. She smiled a little smile as she got onto the escalator and looked down to us one last time on her way to being a grown up.
I am really proud of her...I can't even tell you how proud. She is 16, almost 17 and she is fearless. Talking about her last night someone asked what I was doing at 16, almost 17 and I pointed out that I had a baby. Such an incredible thought but it dawned on me that we are the same, Viv and I, in a lot of ways. At 16, almost 17 there is a confidence based on mostly nothing but strong none the less. There is a need to move on from youth to something more significant and purposeful. Its hard to say that my choice was wrong or destructive because my son changed my life. God used him to remove me from the destructive path I was on and showed me a whole new life in Him. But I'm so glad that Vivienne was smart enough to recognize the opportunity she had and to work hard to achieve it. I'm so glad that the Lord already has a hold of her sweet heart and she was sensitive enough to answer the call. There is nothing more bittersweet then seeing your children grow up, but today I feel anything but sadness. No tears, no anxiety, no fear...just admiration, pride and thankfulness that God raised such a great girl.
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We are praying for you Viv, in the middle of the night, in the brightness of the morning, we will pray without ceasing and we are so excited to see what He will do with your precious life.
I Pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
Eph 1:19
