Celebrating Lifa’s Graduation

We celebrated Lifa this weekend!

Mr. Nathan (Lifa's tutor, mentor and friend since grade 4) joined our family for taco night and a game of "Would You Rather" around the table. We took an intermission for table clearing and soccer, and then came inside to watch this video.

The pictures flash fast, but the memories linger. We sat in it for a moment, laughing about Lifa's "neon era", admiring the progress of his dreadlocks, and almost tasting the joy as that silly little boy became a young man.

We all choked up when I handed Lifa a heavy stack of over 50 letters from family, friends, and people he'd never met but who'd always prayed for him. Chris and I looked our son in the eye and told him his life has impacted more people than he'll ever understand. He is living, breathing, and down-right good looking evidence of God's surprising love.

I went to bed marveling that, even though we've been so far for so long, we've never been alone. I don't know anyone who is so loved by people he's never met. There were so many stories Lifa never knew that we shared that night over those envelopes. There were some stories I didn't know until I read the letters.

Thank you Mr. Nathan, South African friends, and friends and family abroad. Thank you for your prayers, your limitless love, and for making our story a part of yours.