Update on Aleyda

Last Wednesday I woke up early, and with coffee in hand I headed south to visit Aleyda. As I drove towards Atlanta I couldn't stop thinking about Aleyda and how difficult this whole situation must be for her. Who would want to fly to a foreign country, where you don't speak the language, and surrender your body to MDs that you don't even know? And if that weren't enough, who would want to then spend almost 6 months in that foreign country recovering from one of the most painful surgeries with out the support of your family? So as I thought about Aleyda, and how hard this must be for her, all I could pray was that she would feel the constant love, comfort and support of God.

As I pulled up to Aleyda's new home I felt very anxious to see her. How would she look? How would she feel? Would she be happy to see me? Her host dad met me at the door and took me in to see Aleyda. She greeted me with a giant smile and a huge hug. We spent the next 2 hours catching up, sharing news and discussing the surgery. During that time, Aleyda never stopped smiling. She was bubbly and full of laughter. She told me that pain was no longer her constant companion. She told me of the great love that she has for her host family and how much they love her as well. She explained to me that God knew she needed a family to help her through this time and so He had made a place for her in this host family from Atlanta. She told me that God had brought her to the US, that God had made the surgery a success, that God was helping her to heal and that God was keeping the pain away. She spoke of His love and His peace and His sovereignty.

As the conversation wound down and it was nearing time for me to leave, I asked her what she felt about this whole situation. She remained constant in saying, "it seems like a dream!" Even after all the pain and frustration that Aleyda has endured, she still saw this opportunity as a dream. As I was putting on my coat, I reminded her that it wasn't just a dream, but that her dream had in fact come true. Aleyda smiled in response and replied, "Your right, it's a gift from God."