The Things That Matter

I am loving my time at The Gem Foundation spending time with the precious Gems…they are the sweetest…

And their stories are astounding…

One of the little guys who stole my heart when I was here in March was a little guy named Samuel.  He had just arrived a few days before Emma’s wedding.   He was estimated to be 9 or 10 years old and weighed just six pounds.  I took a picture of his leg and because of the size of it, I switched fingers for comparison…because my forefinger was too big in comparison.  When I tried my pinky, it matched!  Emma wrote about him here.

Six pounds and approximately 10 years old.  My heart broke for this little guy.  He had spent his life in agony, nearly starving to death.

Emma named him Samuel which means:  God has heard.   Little Samuel needed help and God had heard his tiny cries.  Emma knew from the start that God had mighty plans for this precious little one.  The supervisor and cook went right to work preparing special feedings to help this little guy begin to thrive…

Fragile Samuel cried most of the days while I was here.   Everyone was praying for him.  Some wondered if he would even live. Some knew that God was going to do big things…and I took many pictures of him knowing that one day all we would have would be the pictures to look at and wonder – could this even be the same little boy?

Well I am joyfully able to report…

This was Samuel’s calf and my pinky in March 2015….

Samuel

And this is Samuel today at The Gem…11958129_10153130540986463_4477763896338104112_o (1)Clearly, God’s healing power manifest through the overflowing love and diligent care of The Gem Foundation.   Sweet Samuel.

So what’s the value of Samuel?

Infinite.

Because Samuel was dreamed up for a specific purpose and He was created by our powerful God.

Samuel is not a mistake.

He matters to God just like the Queen of England matters to God.

Just like the most brilliant scientist matters to God.

Just like the bravest person to ever live matters to God.

Check out the joy Samuel brings to all who know him?  I mean.  

The Samuels are what matters. 

Being with Samuel makes your heart smile.

Being with Samuel makes you forget the struggles.

Being with Samuel reminds us of the things in life that truly matter.

GO with us!!

You’ll never be the same again and actually, you’ll never want to be the same again.

6 thoughts on “The Things That Matter

  1. Ever since I met you, Ruby and your beautiful family at the drive in in Perry, NY.I’ve been captivated by all that you’ve done and continue to do for God’s smallest treasures. Striking up a conversation with you while waiting for our food was by far one of the best things I’ve ever done and I believe I was meant to meet you. I’ve been feeling the pull to help God’s children that are most precious, most fragile and need someone to be their voice. How would I begin the process of applying or looking into going on a missions trip to Africa??

    1. Oh Amy!! It’s so good to hear from you!! I loved spending time talking to you that night. And you know, I just don’t believe in “coincidence”! There ain’t no way…the God of the universe, who made our bodies operate in crazy-precise fashion loves us too much to through life in the air and say, “aww, whatever happens!”

      With that said, He has a divine purpose in our meeting and I betcha we will be able to watch it unfold! The way to find out more about our GO teams is to go to our web site… IVO.global and click on “trips”…it will begin getting you the info! Did you friend me on FB? If not, do it now…my email is APlaceCalledSimplicity@yahoo.com I’m going to change my settings on FB…I’ll try tonight although the wifi is pretty slooooooooow here in Africa – haha!

  2. What an awesome and wonderful difference love can make! So wonderful to see that happy smiling face and that nourished body.

  3. This is so amazingly wonderful. I remember the difference in a few months for the Romanian children we tried to adopt. Just having proper food and stimulation – more than just being in a cot all day every day – meant they went from being like an 18 mo old to more like a 5 year old.
    Samuels are special! Mine is 26, nearly 6ft and very fit (he does weight training). It will be so exciting to see how the Samuel Gem grows and what God uses him for!
    Perhaps I will remember to pray for your Sam each time mine goes out the door to the gym or for a run.
    Love in Him!
    Sandy in the UK

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