Connecting Points Magazine Winter 2018

CONNECTING POINTS | WINTER 2018
PURE & TRUE LOVE
BY KIM TRAN
“Today is your day. You’re off to Great
Places! You’re off and away!”– Dr. Seuss
Every time I read this first line in the book, Oh the Places You Will Go, I get excited
because I already know all the adventure that the upcoming pages hold! And yet,
every time I fasten my seatbelt on an airplane, these lines run through my mind as I
realize life is such an exciting adventure because I don’t yet know what is to come.
On November 10th, at a very early hour in the morning, the sound of my seatbelt
snapping into place gave way to the excitement bubbling inside and I was
ready to be off and away, this time to Guatemala. I, along with seven other women
from CLA and my 10 year old daughter, made up this year’s Guatemala Women’s
team to the Shadow of His Wings Orphanage. We were ready for God to use us. I
was so excited for my daughter to see God show His compassionate heart for His
world and open her eyes to opportunities for her to serve Him. What I wasn’t prepared
for was how God would break my heart.
You see, I have been blessed to experience different parts of this marvelous
world that God spoke into being. I have done short-term missions and had the opportunity
to live abroad. So often in those times, I got to be Jesus’ hands and feet
to those who were hurting, broken and lost. But rarely have I had the chance to
witness pure and unconditional love.
I experienced this love on the night of the Quinceañera—a birthday celebration
that embraces religious customs, the virtues of family and social responsibility. It is
a tradition that celebrates a young girl turning 15 and recognizes her journey from
childhood to maturity. The customs incorporate God, family, friends, music and food.
For several years now, the CLA Women’s team has had the privilege of hosting
this celebration for all the girls that turn 15 that year at the Project (Shadow of His
Wings). This year, five girls turned 15, and our team worked gleefully and tirelessly
setting up tables, a photo booth, baking cupcakes and cake, hoping to create a
space and ambience that would celebrate the girls and their families at the Project.
As the evening began, we settled into our seats with great anticipation. The air
was abuzz with energy and excitement. Then, the procession began. Every girl, beautifully
adorned from head to toe, escorted down the aisle by her father and mother to
a seat where she would receive a new pair of shoes from her mother and a tiara from
her father. As I watched each girl, I also watched the parents, from the procession
to each step of the ceremony. Some were beaming with pride for their daughter;
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