A Fathers Heart

Today I put my oldest daughter(21) on an airplane for a journey to the wilderness of Uganda. She is going to work with the Karamajong, a group of cattle herders in northern Uganda. Her team will spend two months there learning the ins and outs of missionary life. She will specifically be working and learning about the music of these tribesman which can help in witnessing the gospel to them. It is going to be a very tough trip physically, and dad wont be there to help her. A Fathers Heart.

If you are a dad you can imagine the emotions you go through when you send your "little girl" off on a trip of this magnitude. She went to Zambia last year, and has been to Peru with me twice, so she is not a novice. It makes a dad proud to know she has gotten a hold of the vision to spread the gospel to the four corners of the world. A Fathers Heart.

She is so excited to go on this trip, and I am excited for her, but I will miss her tremendously. She is a joy to be around, and we always have great discussions about life's great issues. You see, I have her heart. She trusts me implicitely, and heeds my council. A Fathers Heart.

On the way to airport the clouds were threatening rain and we did drive through some showers on the way. As a pilot, I am thinking, I hope the crew of her airplane realize the precious cargo they are carrying, and navigate around the thunderstorms safely. She is only going to Oklahoma City today, where she will meet her team. She leaves Wednesday for Uganda. As I have gotten older, I seem to cry at the drop of a hat when it comes to my kids. So I know full well that it is not going to pretty at the airport, but at the moment I was under control and doing pretty good. A Fathers Heart.

When we pulled up to the departure area I was still in control. I planned on helping her take her big duffle bag in and help her check in. Everything was going fine until she started hugging her siblings goodbye and she started crying. I bit my lip and helped her carry her bag in and got her through the check-in process. As we walked over to the security area, I looked at her face and it was all red with tears flowing down her sweet cheeks. We embraced. I couldn't say anything, for no words would come out with any clarity. We hugged some more in silence, released, and I helped her find the proper documents to get through security. And then she was gone, walking away from me. With a big lump in my throat I turned and walked back outside to the van. Tears were streaming down my face. A Fathers Heart.

As I write this, tears glisten in my eyes and another lump forms in my throat. I am just a mere man. I love my daughter and all my children. Just a small glimpse of the love the Father in heaven has for us. Can you imagine? A Fathers Heart!