DWIGHT, KELLY AND KAYLA

"... nothing can separate us from the love of God ..." (Romans chapter 8)

It's about 2:30 in the morning. I've been up for a little over an hour, but I'm heading back to bed soon--hoping to get some more sleep before heading to the church this morning for a meeting of our Agape Center Board. Often, when I get awake at this time (and that happens often), I go to the computer to read my email, check my Facebook page, and check out some of the blogs I follow. This morning I was on the FORRY BABYBLOG. Dwight and Kelly had posted just a few minutes before I logged on to tell us that Kayla was eating, but they still were not sure when they could bring her home. It was close, so close.

Dwight and Kelly are two of the most precious people in my life. I had the privilege of performing their wedding. Both are members of my Sunday School Class, the New Wineskins. Kelly was the secretary of my church council and Dwight is one of my church's elders. They so love Jesus and they so love their church, that they have embodied for many of us true servant leadership.

Kayla Ann came into their life prematurely, born in Kelly's 26th week of pregnancy. Kayla has lived the first three plus months of her life in the NICU at Abington General Hospital near Philadelphia. Kelly has spent most of her days and almost all of her nights within a few feet of her daughter. Dwight has had to travel back and forth periodically to care for his farm, but has logged more hours in Abington than in Lancaster County. First they had to wait for Kayla to reach a certain weight, then for her to be off a feeding tube and eat on her own, then for her to return to the feeding tube until she could regain some weight. And Kelly and Dwight have waited--most of the time more patiently than you can imagine, all of the time more prayerfully than most of us would operate. And Kayla has waited without really realizing--waited for the day when Mom and Dad could take her home, waited for the doctors to take out those pesky and painful tubes--waiting to go to her home near Landisville where she could begin to live the life of a little girl for whom Christ has died and God has big, big plans.

But as long as the wait has been--Kayla and Kelly and Dwight have never waited alone. The Lord has been their constant companion, watching over them, strengthening them, protecting them, guiding them, and reminding them that they are loved.

We often express the words of that promise from Romans, but it's when we must wait and hope that this truth becomes a reality.

(C) 2010 by Stephen L Dunn. Photo courtesy of FORRY BABY BLOG