Seven years ago today a little butterfly was born into a land filled with beauty but riddled with extreme poverty. Three and a half years ago God led my husband to Haiti where he met that little butterfly and God showed him that the patterns on her little heart were the same as the patterns on our hearts. We were family. We belonged together.
Since we started the journey to bring our butterfly home we have been blessed to see her grow. At three she was a little butterfly who clumsily flapped her tiny wings as loud as she could to get the attention of others. A little butterfly who danced and sang all the time with a smile to bright your heart just melted on the spot.
Today as she is seven. Her wings have grown. They are still breath-taking to look at but instead of the flash from sequins they now have more of a shimmer to them.She has learned to to flutter her wings gently. She is growing up and one year closer to becoming the beautiful woman God has waiting inside her.
Nephtali's past three birthdays were spent quietly at the orphanage where birthdays are just another day.There are no parties, no presents, no cake. Just the small whispers of the heart as prayers are said giving thanks for life, giving thanks for scarifies, giving thanks for the greatest LOVE of all.
And here in Kansas we gathered as a partial family and sang loudly, hoping a few notes would make it over the ocean. We took pictures of a cake bearing her name for her to see later and know we were thinking of her. There were cards and small gifts set aside with hopes that sometime in the next year someone could take them to her. And we held hands and shed tears as we lifted prayers up to our Lord, thanking Him for knitting her in her mother's womb, for saving her life, for joining our lives with hers, and that maybe this year would be the last birthday spent apart.
Unfortunately that last part has yet to come true but through the blessing of a friend, who has such an amazing heart for Jesus and a love of the precious children of Haiti, this birthday will be a little different. Although still separated by miles, this birthday we will get to share a small part of it with her... as a family.
This evening we will get to Skype with our precious birthday butterfly. We will get to sing and it will make it across the ocean for her to hear. There will be a cake with her name on it and candles to be blown out with a little help from her siblings. There will be a present that we sent down a few weeks ago with friends and we will get to see her smile as she opens it. There will be joy and love shared as a family on this very special day. There will be prayers lifted up together thanking our Lord for her life, for her health, for our time together and that maybe this birthday will be the last birthday away from each other's arm.
Happy Birthday to our precious and beautiful seven year old Butterfly. We love you so much!
