It is 5:30 p.m., and I’m exhausted! My brain and body are both tired. Lindsay and I interviewed only four people on camera today. We spoke with two formerly abducted women. I have not been driven to tears. In fact, I am very surprised at how emotionally unresponsive I’ve been. Maybe it’s because being in Africa already puts you at a different level of humanity…you are more aware of death and evil all the time, so hearing horrifying stories is not quite as shocking….? That is my theory. I talked about it with Lindsay at dinner tonight, and she also made me realize that the stories are not so hard to hear now because they are over. The effects of them are all but dissolved. If I were sitting in an IDP camp hearing about the rape, torture and forced killings the girls had to witness and endure, how they wanted to end the 24-hour nightmares by killing themselves and their children, I would not be so cheerful. I would be filled with despair and hopelessness.
But these are new women, as they say, and they have been given new life. The demon-possessed are now housing the Holy Spirit, and fits of rage have been replaced by self-control and understanding. I can finally use the word transformation to describe the setting and can mean it purely…not as some feel-good slogan. God has taken shattered, scattered hearts and has not only sewn them back together; He has completely recreated them, and they are more beautiful than ever. And as Betty said today, she feels beautiful even on the outside. And she knows her value and worth.
This is a hard life here in Africa. All day you work, sweat, breathe dust…. There is happiness and there is joy, but you work for it.
The power just went out.
Oh it’s back on now!
Possibly my favorite part of today was when I rocked a little baby to sleep as Lindsay interviewed his mother (Betty). He was making too much fuss and disturbing the interview, so I bobbed and swayed with him until he was out. Then it started raining, so I covered him with a cloth, and we went inside, where I laid him on a little mattress. He slept for a while.
We rested and ate lunch in the NLC guesthouse, where Terry lives. She showed us how to work the “ab chair.” It was funny. It was a good rest. We got to eat mushrooms that had been harvested just today. I don’t even like mushrooms, but lunch was gooooood.
At the end of the day, we played with the girls and children, and we watched two girls bake bread. They are taught breadmaking as a way to be involved at the Center, and it is a skill they can take back with them to the communities.
I love the New Life Center.
I love the New Life Center because God is there, and He is working. The staff are so passionate…so solid…so hard-working and committed. What is happening there is real, it is life, it is love, and it is good.
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3 comments:
I'm teary eyed friend. All I can think of is this:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...Isaiah 61:1. I pray it is well with you:)
you are a wonderful writer, a learner and listener, an amazing communicator :), and an incredible woman. Thank you for giving us access to your thoughts, Mary.
"When we move with God, we draw others into the movement. At first the activity may wake them up, and then it may unnerve them and disrupt their routine or their religious life...But in the end, for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see, they will come together and move quickly into battle." -Erwin McManus
I admire your dedication and courage. It takes a lot of strength to put your self second to other people. You may not think that it is a not a selfless act because to you it is like second nature to bring happiness and love to others, by being involved in their lives, but believe me you are special. I am happy to know that there are people like you out there sharing their love.
Kudos- Elena Rodriguez
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