I’d like to introduce to to someone very special. He is sort of the catalyst behind both Reparando and Becoming Fools and he doesn’t even know it … yet.
His name is Micah. He isn’t a homeless youth – but he could have been. He could have walked the streets looking for food. He could have become addicted to sniffing glue as a way to cloud his mind and forget the loneliness. He could have been recruited by a gang and ended up in prison … or even killed in some violent act. He could have … but he didn’t. The author of Micah’s story had something else in mind.
Micah was born to a mother in Guatemala who sadly could not keep him. She knew her son was special. She loved him. In fact, she loved him enough to realize that she couldn’t care for him like he needed. So, she made the decision to give Micah up for adoption. She didn’t know that when she made this decision that she would be part of a much larger story.
In a land far away, a couple was immersed in their personal struggle of infertility. When doctors “couldn’t make it happen through the miracle of medicine”, the couple almost gave up hope that they would have a child of their own. It was difficult for them to understand why God had not allowed them to experience the joy that children bring. But the author wasn’t finished with their story either.
These two broken stories were woven together into a beautiful tapestry of grace. A child was given a family and a family was given the gift of a child. I never grow tired of recounting this beautiful story … because it is ours.
Micah was born six years ago today in Guatemala. We weren’t present at his birth and we didn’t know then, just how special this day would become. We didn’t know the joy that would well up in our life and overflow into others. We didn’t know that we would fall in love with a child and a country. We didn’t know that we would invest years into producing documentaries to try to help this country that gave us the gift of our son. We didn’t know … but now we do … and we are responding. God works in mysterious ways. In the beginning, our story was all about us. We wanted a child. We didn’t realize that our story wasn’t our story at all. It never belonged only to us.
Today as Micah turns six and we celebrate his life, I am reminded that our story is still not our’s alone. When I look into Micah’s big brown eyes and am warmed by his infectious smile and laughter, I can’t even imagine that my precious son could have been walking the streets in Guatemala all alone. I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that there are children Micah’s age who are celebrating their birthday by digging in the trash to look for something to eat. Yet, I have met these children. This is real.
… But the author is not finished with their story … there is HOPE.
We are not producing Becoming Fools to earn grace. We are producing Becoming Fools in response to the grace we have been given. Micah, Amelia and I still have scars, but our scars are beautiful because we share them together in OUR STORY.
There are so many other “Micah’s” who need help. In honor of my son’s birthday, I ask you to give the gift that will remind these children that their story isn’t finished.
Time is running out. Please make a pledge today and help us tell this story.
