Leaning in

As parents, we are always teaching our kids life lessons and hoping they will get it. The icing comes when through their life, we learn lessons from them. It’s a beautiful thing.

Marlin has been fully a part of our family for four years. He legally became Marlin Travale Jones-Foster on April 1 of this year. When he first walked into my third grade classroom in 2001, something happened in my heart for this kid. There was some kind of connection that really has no words. He came over and spent time with our family, and after a couple of years we lost touch. Seven years later, we were reunited (I’ll save that incredible story for another post).

So as Marlin started to become part of our family more and more, we would always pray that he would long to know what it means to follow Jesus. At first, he just slept through church (he basically slept through life), and as he slept, we just prayed that somehow God would help him see his need for a Savior. Then, slowly, he started to wake up from that sleep. He started listening. He started engaging. He started asking questions. And in 2012 Marlin made a life-altering decision to surrender his will to live for Christ. It was hard and amazing all at the same time. He started learning what it meant to say no to his old life and yes to what God wants for him, even when it doesn’t make sense.


So when we said we were coming to Nepal for the summer as a family, he said yes to coming also. We talked and prayed about what this experience would be like for him. We talked about a more simple way of life. We talked of everything that would be new and different. We talked about leaning in. And he responded with a resounding YES! He may have wanted to change his mind when we boarded his first ever plane (a 14 hour plane ride). In his words, “I’m about to poop my pants right now.”

We came here to build into the older kids at the home. To disciple them. To help them know how to live out their walk with Christ in a land where barely anyone follows Jesus. If you know anything about this culture, this task is so much easier said than done. Transparency with emotion takes time. We have come here many times with teams, and spent a few days at a time getting to know the children here, building trust and relationship.

So remember that when I tell you this:

We have been here for 16 days. Marlin has already spent hours swapping stories with the older boys here. He and one boy both came from homes with alcoholic fathers. They talked about how hard that was, and instantly God drew their hearts together. Marlin is leaning in.


Actually all of our children, each in their own unique way, are leaning in. Todd and I started this journey with a jog. The kids, all five of them, took off with a sprint. They don’t let the language barrier stop them.  They are getting in there with the kids. Eating with them, playing with them, serving them, loving them, getting to know them. Today Madi left, all by herself, to go to the market with some of the kids. It was completely unknown what she would be walking into. They are hot and tired and sun burnt (really, really badly). There are bugs and cold showers, and different food and did I mention bugs? Huge bugs.

It’s a beautiful thing that our children are teaching us to keep leaning in. When it is hard and we are tired. Lean in. When it feels lifeless. Lean in. When it is uncomfortable and unknown. Lean in. Just keep leaning in. Marlin. Madi. Lily. Parker. Dylan. You guys let God teach us through you. Thanks kids!