Her name is Alyssa and she is 2 years old.  She comes to the Hangar with her mommy and her 4 month old baby brother.  Her daddy has been serving in Iraq since the baby was born and won’t be home until the end of July.  Alyssa is a beautiful child with blond hair and blue eyes.  She often stares at you with a serious,

somber gaze as if trying to figure you out.  In the 4 weeks that she has been coming to the Hangar, I have never seen her laugh or smile…..until last Wednesday.

 

On Wednesday nights we have dinner and Bible study for young couples.  We have babysitters who care for the children in a separate room so the parents can visit and study without interruption.  After our study, we have dessert and fellowship time, and most of the parents get their children and bring them to socialize with everyone. 

 

Last Wednesday one of the fathers was on the floor with his 9 month old daughter.  She was crawling around the couch, and he was chasing her on his hands and knees as she squealed with joy and delight. 

The movie Field of Dreams had a line “…build it and they will come…”; we are finding out that “…plan it and they will come…” may be our theme.  We did that last weekend and ended up with 15  taking the train with us to Cologne to see the Cathedral and sights of the city.

 

There were couples from our Wednesday night group and singles from our Friday night group.  The day was sunny and we had a great time, but best of all was the two hours on the train when we had uninterrupted time to talk to each individual.  We found out that two in our group want to go into youth ministry!!  

 

We will be planning and going places at least once a month and, about once a quarter, we are hoping to plan some overnight destinations.  On the docket for June is a visit to Normandy.

Alyssa stood beside the couch taking it all in with her serious look.  Then I watched her get down on her hands and knees and start to crawl around the couch….all the while looking to see if “that guy” would chase her also.  To his credit, he noticed her and chased after her just like he did his own daughter.  At first, Alyssa smiled…. then she laughed… then she squealed with delight.

 

After a few minutes, the father sat back against the couch to catch his breath and rest for a moment.  Alyssa stood up and looked at him with her serious gaze.  Then he did something so natural, yet unexpected, that it brought tears to my eyes.  He opened his arms and beckoned Alyssa to come get a hug….and she raced into them and held on tight.

 

If you were a father in Iraq who was serving your country, yet missing your family, wouldn’t you pray that someone, somewhere would be helping care for them and love them in your absence?  That is part of what we are trying to do here at the Hangar.

Spring has finally arrived in Germany and we’re seeing new beauty and colors everyday---we love it and so will you if you come for a visit.  Let us know and the light will be on.

 

Thanks for your prayers and support!!

In Him!

Rog and Sheila