He makes ALL things New

This week has been beautiful. Last weekend, another girl went in to have her baby. I went to visit them in the hospital, and the first thing this new mother did was to praise God—I asked her how she was doing, and her response was this:

“Good. I had to have an operation, but God gave me strength. I am so thankful because both me and my baby are healthy. In birth, this doesn’t always happen. Many times the mom walks away alone, or the baby is orphaned. But God watched over me.”

I started to tear up as I watched her and the baby. She asked me to give the baby a middle name, and I couldn’t believe she was serious at first. She thanked me for helping, even though I feel as though I’ve done close to nothing in helping her. As I came back to Mirembe House and celebrated a little bit with the other girls and staff, I thought about the beauty of the situation. This particular girl had come from a very dark past. Her mother died when she was young, and situations since have been against her. I could not believe the gratitude she has shown God even despite the still difficult circumstances in her life.

I’ve gotten to know the girls so much better, and now feel extremely comfortable around them. I already can’t even think about leaving; I start to feel a little helpless. But God’s doing work through Mirembe House, and I’m so glad to be a part of it.

As this week continued, I found myself wishing I could stay here for a year or so, just to really be able to dig into the lives of those here. Not every situation turns out beautifully; and I’ve seen some of those stories play out as well, but God has a knack for giving hope where there is none, as I’ve mentioned before.

Another girl that just blows me out of the water is the 15 year old there, who recently opened up to tell me that she was pregnant because her uncle, whom had taken her in as a child had raped her. She explained that her aunt would not believe her, and that she couldn’t go back afterwards, which is understandable. What was not understandable in my own eyes was the part of the conversation when she said, “But I told him, I forgave him.” She said it with the calmest demeanor you can imagine, no doubt hurting inside, but extremely sincere. She had an opportunity to send him to jail, but did not want to—because she forgave him.

Words cannot express how my heart felt in that moment. There’s no way I would have reacted as she has, but that’s Christ.

I realized that this is what I love about social work so much. God’s ability to take death in the spiritual, emotional, and physical sense, and turn it into life is just astounding. The literal metaphor sunk in a little bit this week—these girls are coming from a place of emotional and spiritual death, quite possibly. But God brings them life—literally, in the form of a child. This obviously doesn’t mean everything is easy, but it’s a beautiful reminder that He makes all things new.

Pray for:

-God’s Wisdom! As I continue to assist in teaching the girls about themselves, God, and the world around them.

-Strength

-Energy

This post will be short, and I won’t update for a while—as we’re doing Rural Home stays next week. I’ll be out of touch, but will hopefully have pictures to attach of both Mirembe House, and the experience we’re diving into now.

Thanks again for all the prayers—hope to see another update sometime in late February. J

Mary