Oh, Father!

Hello All!
This is going to be a pretty short post as I have midterms this week, and have been extremely busy with them, among my regular school work and missions work.
Something that has come to my attention a lot while here, has been the absence of Christian male role models, both in the Church and communities. It is an issue I was aware of from our last trip, but during this trip is has become more prominent as I have gotten to know the people here better. Obviously, having a male role model plays a very important role in the lives of children, both boys and girls. This absence is strongly felt by everyone in the communities, adults and children alike.
I was very lucky growing up to have a Christian father of integrity who loved and cared for me, even if he could not always be home as much as he would have liked. And I am very happy that he can be even more present in the lives of my siblings, now that he has a more manageable job. I am constantly faced with challenges in my life, and now that I am grown up and mostly independent, I often find myself asking, “What would my dad do/say in this situation?” and I find myself calling, emailing, and messaging him on a nearly daily basis for advice. It is a true testament of a great father, when their adult children feel they have the freedom and ability to seek their father’s guidance.
Here, on the other hand, most of the children do not have prominent male role models growing up, as many fathers are not interested in being fathers, or they simply do not know they are the father. They do not have the encouragement I had from my father growing up, to become a man of integrity, chasing after God’s heart. I heard a sermon on this subject recently discussing the importance of the father’s role in his children’s lives. What struck me most was the importance of hearing, from your father, how proud he is of you. I will never forget my high school graduation because of that very reason! To actually hear your father say, “Good Job, I’m Proud of You!” as a child, youth, or young adult, is by far greater than any award ever given. And to think God, our heavenly father, whispers that very thing to us all on a daily basis! It’s Incredible!

I am encouraged, to see a few men really stepping up in the communities here through the various churches to be the role models the children here are so desperate for. My prayer is that God can be revealed as a proud father to all the children here who are so despite for guidance.
In His TLC,
R.