Thursday, October 17, 2013

my favourite things/ to know you





To know you 
dear Kieran
to love you dear boy

If I hadn't prayed with my little girl
on those nights Bosnia was at war
when she would awake and sob
so afraid it would come here
and that she might die before she married and had children
I told her...

It is not here dear Shoshi
the war is a long ways off
but there are children there
in Bosnia
who need us to pray for them
they may not live to be married
they may not live to have children
let's pray for them...

she had no more nightmares of her own
but she would wake
and pray for the children
in other lands

who might not grow old
because of war
or sickness
or poverty

she wanted an orphanage
she wanted the God in her heart
to take her to a land where she was needed
to find the children that might
need her heart of God love

Because of this great yearning
we all came to Africa
Because of this spark of hope
to be a difference for someone
we ventured a far off

We came to see Shoshi's Africa
South Africa
Johannesburg
The Love of Christ Ministries
Thea Jarvis
her marvelous family

Kieran

every day was a gift of life for him
a heart not strong enough to raise a growing boy

but he grew

not strong
but still
he grew

and when a boy makes 14
you think well why not 16
or 20
or forever

on his mama's birthday
he said how he would be home after school
to make a birthday tea
with a smile off to school he went

I don't like calls home

he has collapsed
they told Thea
and when she got there
Kieran had already
taken angel flight home
to the arms of Jesus

It doesn't seem right
this not growing old

I would not have known this boy
would not have known my love for him

if there had not been a war in Bosnia

if I had not prayed with one little girl
full of fear and tears

Love wanders over the miles
it has no distance that will keep it away
it penetrates fearful hearts
and broken spirits

it always finds a way to capture
a needy heart
to heal a broken one

This Jesus who holds Kieran
also holds me

I cannot understand the veil that hangs between life and death
but I know who is both there and here
and holds us each one

One day our eyes will see plainly
our hearts will no longer fear
His perfect love will
bring us all home

Kieran has gone ahead
and will be
waiting
dear friends

All tears and sorrow will be gone on that great day of rejoicing
Jesus
our hope of glory




my favourite things