Excuse the cheesy Celine Dion title, but there were no better fitting words. There IS power in Love. Not the love that is thrown away when things get difficult. Not the love that is actually lust, just give it a few weeks or months to come to light. Not the love that is the bitter, self-serving, "I'm going to be here, but not really BE here" kind. It is the powerful love that is talked about in 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."
These precious faces above are just a few of the recipients of that kind of love at Mama Catherine and Pastor Earnest's house. This amazing couple has devoted their lives to loving and raising hundreds of children that come across their path by the Amazing Grace that set the plan for them to receive that kind of love.
I wrote a guest blog post last year here about a girl I met at M1, one of the government remand homes where Sixty Feet works so diligently. Bitter, angry, hurt....hell bent to show it. Several days I witnessed behavior of someone who was so deeply wounded in spirit, so far from hope. I have to admit, I felt her future was going to be repeating the cycle of the obvious brokeness which she had already been exposed.
But (there it is again!), even though I had already counted her out, God certainly had not.
Fast forward one year and here I was, in front of a very familiar face. But not familiar at all. Taking students' pictures for sponsorships, I asked the teacher who this young lady was....and she confirmed my thoughts. It was her. The girl. Except it wasn't her. This girl was beautiful. Smiling. Joyful. A countenance shining like gold!
Come to find out, she had been living with Mama Catherine for almost a year now. It wasn't an easy transition, but the Love that bears, believes, hopes, endures, and never ends was (and still is) there through all the mess and beauty. The final product being redemption and hope for a precious soul whom I had already written her ending.
So, once again, I proved that I'm a terrible, limited in creativity, lacking in faith kind of author, and He trumps them all. I'm more than okay with that! As my family enters into month 3 of this incredible experience, I'm feeling all the more okay with a lot of things. Living here is finally like home. The roles of each person here is starting to round out, mine included. Grace even said, "I miss home, but I'm not ready to go home yet." That's big.
There's still so much to do, but.....as I'm slowly learning....we are just a small part of the great, big, gigantic love story that God is rolling out before our eyes. It's Pulitzer material, ya'll. On the grandest scale.
My Loves.
Sophie, the forever princess.
Grace, growing up right before my eyes.
