Lily's kids

Lily's kids

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

More pain for more grace

Life goes by so quickly...

I blinked and suddenly I'm not a kid anymore.

There are times where I realize where God has me today and it blows me away.

I feel like I was just eight years old playing dolls with my sisters.
All those late night conversations and how we all thought it would be so weird when one of us got married.
Well, I just watched my oldest sister get married to the man she has been praying for all these years.
I stood there, watching her dance with her husband and it made me realize just has quickly time is passing by.

I think about that list by my bed when I was just learning how to write. With the numbers 1-100 all down the side and how I wanted to name all 100 of the kids I yearned to hold and protect and love. That desire is still there but now I am living a small piece of it.

All through my childhood I dreamed and prayed about the day I could move overseas and work with children. Today I just bought chocolate and smarties to bring back to the little ones I get to love on each and every day. It's been four years with those cuties.

Four years of loving those precious little ones that I had dreamed about loving. 18 years of praying and dreaming and hoping and planning.

God was preparing me those 18 years and has continued to teach me and grow me during these 4 at Casa de Esperanza in Bolivia.

Every struggle and hard moment was worth it. All the closed doors only meant that God would open the right door in His perfect timing. At the time it didn't make sense and it hurt. But now looking back on it, I see more clearly how God was leading me. I won't fully understand all of it but I have learned that God has it under control. But I still have so much to learn.

Watching my sister get married made me realize just how much more God has in store for me... it's not over yet! I feel small and young but remember that God is so much bigger than my weaknesses and youth. He is GOD. Pretty much all I need is in those three words.

He will NOT let me go.
He will lead me in His PERFECT plan.
He LOVES me.
He is FOR me.

My only reaction is to reach out and let Him wrap me in His arms and lead me on.

More abandoned babies, more hurting children, more broken single mamas, more pain.

But more of God's love, more of his healing, more of His forgiveness and more of His grace.

Every bit of brokenness I encounter or find in my own heart, I get to see God heal and restore.

Ashes to beauty.

I love seeing God work. I am excited to see God continue to work.

May He keep refining us and making us more into His image!
All glory to Him!

In Christ,
Lily Fluharty

They make me smile

David, Cecila and Ismael
After a quick break of being home... two weeks of sunshine and my sister's beautiful wedding...

I am heading back to Bolivia this weekend and I cannot wait to wrap up my little ones and smother them with kisses. I am missing them. Excited to finally be able to upload some pics! I don't get to do it enough and these smiling faces light up my day!


All my babies... well one is missing

Enjoying coconut milk

Ariel sewing with Anna

Mateo 
Love these beautiful kids

July, Peniel, Emanuel and Abigail

Perfect excuse to come home. Congratulations Lindsey!
Will hopefully be writing again before I head back! Until then,
God bless!!! Excited to see Him lead and guide me!

~Lily Flu