The Lord Set His Love on You

(Written on December 8, 2013)

Dear Gustavo,

“The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you . . . .”
Deuteronomy 7:6–8a

We finally got to meet you this week. You were initially shy even though you gave us each a hug after being encouraged by Mama Norma. When we showed you the little book of our family that Megan made, you didn’t seem that interested.

But your eyes lit up when we brought out the blow up beach ball. After blowing it up, the rest of our time at IHNFA was with you hitting the ball all around the office, even off each of the workers there. I liked that all of the ladies there knew you.

When we arrived at the hotel, you warmed up to us a bit and sat on our laps at times. For lunch, you ate a large plate full of chicken, fries, and rice and didn’t leave a bite. Hard to believe that in your small frame you could eat that much, especially after having already eaten an apple.


The real treat for us was visiting your house and your foster family. You defintiely felt comfortable in this environment and proudly introduced us to everyone as your “Mama” and “Papa”. Getting to see your home was wonderful but getting to know your foster parents was the true blessing. We loved their genuine spirits and love for family and children.

The next day we met again in our hotel room and you certainly felt more comfortable together. When Norma asked you to go outside with us, the furthest we could get you was just outside the door. We kicked the little blue plastic ball for about an hour with you opening the door after each kick to check on Mama Norma. Then you ate another full plate of food at lunch. Where are you storing all of that food? 

We asked you if you knew any English and you responded with, "One, three, five, and seven." Prime numbers. Very impressive. We tried throwing the ball up the stairs and counting in English with you each time in bounced. After an hour of that, you still recited, "One, three, five, and seven."

As I reflect on the day and what has led up to this point, I can get a taste for the heart God has towards Israel, a people who were not the strongest or greatest by any means (Dt. 7:6–8). While you may be of small frame (and large appetite), I have that same sort of unconditional love towards you.