You could be my grandchildren

This is a story about my family, my flesh and blood.

My brother-in-law is from Ghana.  He has dark rich West African skin. My sister has light Dutch-Wisconsin skin.  Their kids have creamy brown skin, dark curly hair, and long eye-lashes that get them compliments often.  My parents love that they have grandkids that don't look like them.  They love that their flesh and blood have dark rich skin.  

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My dad and I flew 14 hours, then 3 hours, and then drove a couple of hours to get to the orphanage. We were taken down to the house where we would be staying during our trip. It was a long day but we wanted to see the kids and beat the jet-lag so we walked up to the orphanage. 

We held and hugged each child as they came to the gate to welcome us. The little ones reached their strong brown arms up to us and smiled when we held them.  The older ones took our hand in theirs. They were all older, taller-they'd grown up again. The kids played with the veins in my dads hands-he held them and threw his head back, laughing with them.  

After dinner we all gathered in the house to worship.  The kids, 30 or so, stood together and sang loudly.  At times they used their hands to clap.  At times they used their hips to dance and Stuart sat behind the drum and his brown hands flew across its top.  They prayed with their bright eyes open, they prayed with their eyes pinched shut.

My dad stood in a corner of the room.  He swayed back and forth.  I saw him wiping tears off of his face.

At the end of worship, Patrick asked my dad to share some words with the kids.  All of the kids sat down.  My dad clasped his hands together in front of his chest.  He began to speak and his voice quaked. He closed his mouth, gained his composure and spoke,  

"When I look at you, I see the faces of the children of God." He paused and patrick translated.  The room waited quietly for him to continue.

My dad collected himself, "When I look at your faces, I see that, you could be my grandchildren." 

My dad paused Collected himself, waited for the translation. 

Patrick began translating the simple phrase, and as he translated the room began to erupt.  Some kids started clapping when they heard the English, others had to wait until Patrick translated what my dad had told them. But by the end of the translation the kids were clapping, some were cheering, Patrick jumped up and down in the middle of the room, William said Wow, Wow, Wow!  The cheering went on for a few seconds. My dad put his hands up to his lips. His eyes were wide. He smiled. Then he turned to Patrick, shook his head and said, "That's it." 

"Wow, wow, wow."

To see them as children of God was to see them as his own grandchildren.

And to be seen as someone's grandchild, well it's such good news that you can't help but jump up and down in the middle of the room.