To My Parents

Dear Papi and Mom, Happy Anniversary-your 26 years of Marriage! There are many people who have ministries, take care of orphans in orphanages, foster homeless kids, be missionaries, build churches, pastor churches, travel to distant lands, do so many great things for the Lord, and even risk their own lives!! I look at you both. What church did you build? nothing. What orphans did you watch over in orphanages? no one. Where do you travel for ministries? not much anywhere. Wait, do you even risk your lives? your lives are safe. But when I look at you, I see more than all those things i just mentioned! Your faithful love for each other within the Vows is a God-given gift! so precious! Then it came for you to have children. Adoption was not your first choice, but you followed the calling of God and went into a dangerous guerrilla country. You even had no idea where this country of Colombia was at, not even the knowledge that it is in South America. To make things worse, the plane had some difficulty in the air that could have led into a crash, but you trusted the Lord anyways. You even heard of "civil-war-like") things happening, but you still depended upon the Lord. Prevailing, you adopted us! You see, you did risk your lives (by adopting us no matter what), you did build congregations (us), you did care for orphans (even more by simply adopting us), you did travel to a distant land (a land you knew not of-just to adopt us), you did minister us- (you raised us up for Elohim), you have done great things (just by adopting us) YOU ARE jUST GREAT!! Now looking at you from the moment state: Mom, you love and really care for your family! You have time for us and also times for yourself:) You feed us with awesome healthy food, guidance, and with Scriptues! You love doing what you love doing: planting, caring for the animals, growing a garden, playing your guitar, singing, and other things. Papi, you love and really care for your family! You work very hard at your workplace to provide for us. BUT you you do an amazing job being with us. You will treat us out for dinner or even put your great cooking into use! I love knowing you also do what you love to do: golfing, fishing, watching OHIO sports (hahaha), and anything, and reading. You both are great examples to me that you can love Elohim with the little you have, with where you are at, and who you are with no matter what! There was a time where I thought to love Elohim also meant to do BIG things for Him, but, no, I see that to love Elohim means to be who you are and even to simply enjoy the little things-well, just to live your lives in joy and not through fear, anxiousness, nor even by our "good-doings"! yes, now I see!! It may have taken a long time to see, but now I see!!!
To love יהוה God means to obey and keep His Torah. Thank you so much for what you have done and still do! Thank you so much for for who you are! Thank you so much for adopting us-me!! Thank you for your love for Elohim!!! I Love You!! Love, Libia P.S. Special memories of when I was little: Papi, there was a prayer you would pray for us (your daughters): "May they be beautiful like Job's daughters." Now, I did not realize what that meant at the time. I always thought you said Joel's instead of Job's. So I would ask myself, "Who is Joel?" Little did I know as I got older that Job would become one of my favorite Books of the Bible and man of God! Thank you! Mom,I remember you painted the verse that says, "God is Love"on our bedroom wall. For some reason, that really caught me, and I would read that a lot in the attic of Lakewood. To this day, that verse has become ONE with me! It's a God-thing!! Thank you!