Found

I was blessed this last weekend with the opportunity to wait at the airport with family and friends for the arrival of Mat and Stacey Truman who were coming home from Ethiopia with their daughter Gracie Ayantu. It was a tremendous moment. This group of twenty or more excited folks drew the attention of everyone at the airport. While waiting I overheard several passing travelers wonder aloud who this Gracie was. Some even made a point of stopping and waiting with us to see. I was reminded of the parable of the lost sheep. Obviously, you can see what a perfect treasure she is. She is beautiful and so sweet. She is funny and amazingly patient and well behaved. She is special and one-of-a-kind. But she had been abandoned, lost, left behind and could have perished had she not been delivered into the hands of an orphanage. Where she was lovingly taken care of, but was one of many, alone really, with no certain future. Until she was adopted by this loving family and now she has been found. A family who was looking for their daughter. They didn't know where she was or how they were going to find her, but were searching, searching nonetheless. And this is the part where she is brought back home to her flock, her family. And they all partied and cried and rejoiced at her return.
Hello little sheep, welcome home!