One of the last.

So it’s the last night before we head as a group to Rwanda, to learn about the genocide. SO MANY EMOTIONS.

I should fill you in on the last few weeks at Mirembe House—it was increasingly sad as the time grew closer to the end, and last Thursday I finally said goodbye to the girls and the staff. A total of 5 babies (with one resting in peace) have been born to moms while I’ve been there, and each time it’s just as shocking. I’m now an auntie, and although I’ll never see any of those babies or their moms again, I’m so thankful for the time that I’ve spent at Mirembe House.

I slept over at Mirembe House one night, and realized that even though I’m a little older than the girls, most of them just feel like friends; not clients. That’s the kind of organization Mirembe House is… it’s a community.

I was thinking about what to write this week, and I realized that as much as I love to include stories, they almost cheapen the experience. They bring some life to the work that’s going on at Mirembe House, but they also take away from seeing the girls’ smiles, and hearing their words, and realizing that they’re not just “pregnant teenagers” but beautiful sisters of Christ that have some of the most difficult challenges to face. They each have a different personality, a different story, and different barriers. As much as I want to share all of them with you, you have to know that each one is SO MUCH more beautiful than I can express in words.

Now that you know how impossible the task is, let me try to convey just how beautiful they are, and just how much they’ve touched my life.

In the baby books that the girls made towards the beginning of the semester, they wrote letters to their babies… one day during my last week, I snuck a peak at one of the girls’ letters. I couldn’t hold in my tears, as the letter expressed in slightly broken English that the mom wanted her baby to have the best life possible; that she would always pray for her, always hope for her, and always have her baby in her heart. She wanted her baby to know that it is a precious gift from God, and that it was made in God’s image, and uniquely designed. She wanted to tell her baby that it could do anything in the world it wants to as long as God is on its side.

There was a movie night the other week, and as we set up the movie, the girls started to dance to music that a staff member was playing over the speakers. My coworker said it so succinctly;  “I love to see them when they’re acting like teenage girls. It’s like they just get to be young again… just for a moment, they get to forget about the challenges they’re facing.”

One of the girls who is pregnant due to rape is a refugee from Congo. I didn’t know her story until last week, but I never would have guessed. The love she shows to me even though we can’t communicate, and the joy that she brings to all of the girls is incredible. Her gentle spirit brings warmth to your heart, and a smile to your face. She gave me about 4 hugs before I left, and smiled as she handed me a bracelet that she made me. God is so present in her life. Her baby will be so lucky to have such a beautiful mom.

One of the girls, who has been there the longest started to teach the new ones the lessons that I had taught a long time ago; about encouragement, and facing challenges, etc. She taught them how to make bracelets and baby books while I wasn’t there. I swear, it’s like she’s a house mom herself.

I could go on for so long about each one of them. I hope and pray that I don’t forget the lessons of love that I’ve learned from each one of them. I hope to always remember the inspiration that I’ve gained from the staff, pouring their lives out into these girls.

The last day, the staff and girls threw a lunch party for me—they set up special tables, and decorated a bit. I cried as they gave speeches for me… it was SO humbling to hear the things that the girls have learned, and the encouragement that the staff had for me. I failed to express just how much each of them meant to me, but I tried my best. As I was leaving, I was reminded again about what one of my friends had said… about holding people in her heart. I can’t help but realize that even though I may never see these girls or staff again, they’re forever a part of me now. Their laughter, and jokes, and hardships were so real while I was there. I am only able to praise God for the chance to learn from them, and work alongside them.

As for Mirembe House, I know they’re doing God’s work. My supervisor and I were talking about how efficient it is to have a home like this, especially in Uganda. Not only is Mirembe House instilling hope in these young women, but they’re also changing the lives of the children. Because these girls are given an opportunity to discover their real worth, and learn about how to be a good parent, and learn about how much God loves them, their children will be exposed to the same things.

Not every story is a complete success story… visiting one of the moms that recently had her baby, I was able to see clearly that life after Mirembe House is a STRUGGLE. But, she was still able to look at me in the face, and remind me that God will provide for her, and that He has been faithful and still will be faithful—despite the hardships. The same mother never would have said that before Mirembe House.

So lesson learned. Life brings HARD stuff, but God is faithful. And Mirembe House is being faithful to His call. Praise God for people who are willing to give everything to bring His hope.

As I leave for Rwanda, and then for the States, prayer would so much be appreciated for the following things:

--For my heart to be open to learning in Rwanda.

--For my heart to be open to coming back home

--For the girls; for HEALTH, and that that they’d continue to learn and grow in the love of Christ.

Thank you for following J. See you all soon!!