The Things of Heaven
“Now faith is the reality of things hoped for, the proof of what is unseen.”
Hebrews 11:1
As believers, there are moments the Holy Spirit invites us into, supernatural moments where the proof of what is unseen, described in Hebrews 11, becomes undeniable and more tangible than the physical objects before us. On July 4th at Naomi’s Village, nearly 200 of us were entirely overtaken by the things of Heaven, our hearts transferred to the eternal place for an afternoon.
It's been said that homecomings at Naomi’s Village are a picture of Heaven, inviting us into a sliver of the celebration waiting for us as we enter the gates of Heaven. But I had no idea what was coming that glorious day, and neither did anyone who had previously attended a homecoming.
Naomi’s Village is a children’s home located in the Great Rift Valley, existing to provide holistic and loving care to Kenyan children in need. This homecoming would be an eye-opening and beautiful reminder of why our ministry exists. Three brothers survived a fire just over one year ago, where the eldest, Allan (10), returned to their burning home to rescue his younger siblings, Peter (8) and Michael (6). Their story of familial love and sacrifice makes me think of Jesus in the book of John as He addresses the disciples, "'This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.'” John 15:12-13.
After meeting these boys, it didn’t take long for the final decision to be made that Naomi’s Village would be their home. So a couple days later, nearly a dozen of us piled into a Land Cruiser for an hour drive to pick them up. The ride back home was roaring with laughter from the back bench seats where the brothers sat with two of our middle-aged boys, Isaac and Chris. From the moment we met them, Isaac became their brother. Arriving at the gates of Naomi’s Village, the car fell silent. Turning around, I saw Isaac with his arm still around the youngest boy, Michael. They had ridden the entire drive home like this. My eyes welled. Turning back around, hearing the drums and singing about a hundred yards down the lane welcoming our boys, something in my soul shifted. I had chills head to toe. The friend to my right exhaled, whispering “I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle this.” All I could think was we welcome you, Holy Spirit.
Once the car stopped, the back doors flew open, aunties picking up each boy. The anticipated celebration was finally beginning (a beautiful parallel). They were embraced with singing and dancing all the way into our dining hall. From outside still, I heard the cheering and voices singing, “Jehovah turns my life around, He makes a way when there is no way, Jehovah has the final say.” I was one of the last into the room, finding this glorious circle that filled the space in the same way praise did.
Our dining hall has two-story, open ceilings with windows all around. When I entered, sun beams could have broken the windows, spotlighting the center of the circle where the boys were being lifted high on shoulders. Glory. Glory. Glory. The light of Heaven was shining on us.
The room settled, the Holy Spirit still so heavy all we could do was weep, and different representatives were invited to give blessings to the boys. Standing before the room, one of our founders, Julie, paused, looking around the room and weeping through her words, “There are some moments where we can just hardly bear the weight of glory. This is one of those moments.” Her husband, and co-founder, then addressing the room but quickly narrowing in on the three boys, “When I saw you, I loved you.” Later, as I was standing before the room, entirely unable to speak, I understood what Julie had said before about the weight of glory. It was unlike anything I had ever experience before. One of our younger boys told Allan, Peter, and Michael, “Brothers, this is home. We welcome you with love. You will never be alone again. Welcome to our family.”
I am so thankful for redemption through family, for the renewal of life happening all around us, and always for the love of Jesus ever in our midst. The gates of Heaven opened and poured onto us that day, giving a small glimpse of the glory that may feel familiar when we join the King. And I will never be able to grasp it this side of Heaven.
“And they will be called the Holy People, the Lord’s Redeemed; and you will be called Cared For, A City Not Deserted.” Isaiah 62:12