A glimmer of hope in the midst of tragedy.

Tonight's reading begins the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob (who would later be called Israel). Talk about sibling rivalry. I'm sure that Joseph was the typical annoying younger brother, and I am sure that it didn't go over well that he seemed to be the favored son, but was all that really enough to get him sold off into slavery? It would seem that Joseph's story would end in tragedy at the hands of his brothers. Since we have the opportunity of knowing what happens though, we know that this isn't the case. That instead, what was meant for evil, God would work together for good. That even in the midst of this tragedy, God was not taken by surprise, and he had a plan for Joseph's life. One that neither Joseph or his family would ever be able to imagine.

Again, during these days, my mind continues to think of Haiti. My prayer is that even in the midst of this tragedy that has happened because we live in a broken world, that God has not been taken by surprise and He has a plan. A plan for good. I hope that part of that plan includes that many orphans that are currently in the adoption process, who have loving families who have been waiting months and years for them to come home already. When the earthquake hit, many of the families waited to hear if their children were safe, and the ones who were, they pondered what this would mean for their children. All the papers that were filled out as part of this painstaking process were lost in the midst of the rubble. Would this mean that they would have to wait even longer for their families to be reunited? Or would it possibly mean that these children would be released to their families sooner? Yesterday, humanitarian parole was granted to the orphans of Haiti who were currently in the adoption process. I don't understand everything that this means, except that it does mean that there is hope that these children will get to be united with their families soon, maybe even in the next few days. Some families have already been united as their children were granted visas from the US embassy. Our friends and partners in ministry are still waiting. Aaron Ivey is a worship leader that Brad and I have worked with for several summers. He and his wife Jamie have been waiting more than 2 years to bring home their son Amos. Dave Rhodes is a minister who Brad and I have also had the opportunity to work alongside of at several of our camps. He and his wife Kim have been waiting for 2 years as well to bring their son Frankie home. Both of these couples have embraced opportunities over the last several days to speak on behalf of the many orphans who are in the country of Haiti. They have done all they can to bring awareness of the needs of these beautiful children. I can't imagine the fear, happiness, anxiety, and elation that these families must be feeling right now. I pray that God will bring peace among this chaos. I pray that these families would be united in the days to come. Time is of the essence in this situation, so I pray that these children would be on their way home for their families very, very soon. I pray that maybe this will be one of the good things that might come out of all of this tragedy. The idea that these children might be able to be loved on by their mothers and fathers so much sooner than expected seems like a ray of bright light and hope in the midst of the darkness that must hover over Haiti tonight. So please pray for these families along with me, as well as all the others who I don't know. Pray that Amos and Frankie and all their other friends will be on planes soon to join their families. I am so thankful that we have a God who can and does work ALL things together for good and who HOPE can be found in, in the midst of tragedy.

Tonight's Reading: Genesis 34-37

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant if for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." Genesis 50:20