When we were on the eMi project trip in June, we tried to include Caleb as much as we could, but there was a lot of time spent in meetings and working on the design that we felt would bore a 5 year old to death, so we found people to watch him. Each of the eMi families took at least one turn watching Caleb for a day. Even the interns watched Caleb a couple of evenings. I felt they were angels helping me out and making us feel like a true part of the eMi family, but they weren’t Caleb’s angels.
No, Caleb’s angels didn’t show up until the very last night of the project trip.
We had traveled to Jinja with the project team for our closing time. Again, this was a part of the trip in which Caleb really couldn’t participate. Unfortunately, we didn’t really have anyone we could call upon to watch Caleb. Since we were not leaving the retreat center at which we were staying, we decided that Caleb could just stay in the room by himself and put himself to bed. So we set him up with his DVD player and one of his favorite movies, Disney’s Cars, gave him instructions to go potty when the movie was over and go straight to bed. He seemed ok with the instructions, so we gave him goodnight kisses and left the room.
About midway through our closing time with the rest of the team, I went back to check on Caleb. He had done exactly as we had instructed him as I found him safely tucked in bed fast asleep. One thing we hadn’t thought to do before we left Caleb in the room was to pull the mosquito net down, so I had to do that without waking my sleeping child.
Later, we heard Caleb’s side of how the evening had gone.
After he had finished watching the movie, he had turned off the DVD player and left it sitting on the couch just as we had instructed him to do. He forgot to go to the potty, but that’s ok. The he proceeded to climb the ladder to his bed, my one hesitation about leaving him to put himself to bed. But apparently I need not have worried as, according to Caleb, there were angels that helped him climb the ladder. I believe he said that there were two, one in front and one behind him. And then he had four angels come “snuggle” with him.
I don’t know if Caleb really saw angels or not, but I believe they were there protecting my child. I know because I pray for that kind of protection for him every day, and I believe God answers our prayers. And I believe he sends angels to protect us and help us whether we really see them or not.
I wish I had angels to snuggle with me.
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Angels watch me through the night,
And keep me in their blessed sight.
– Author unknown
