Growing in Grace

 If you want flowers to grow they need to have water, good soil, and sunshine.  The “mothers” and “aunties” in our Village need to be growing in grace, just like all women who seek to serve the Lord.  So last week was the first meeting for “Growing in Grace,” what I’m calling the meeting of these women who are taking care to the children.  I’m sharing the leadership with Martha, a missionary for many years with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) who is now serving on our staff. 

It isn’t easy to have 12+ women living and working together without challenges in relationships.  So this is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to grow in grace.  We have had devotions, shared a little about our lives, laughed together, and talked about those things that are important as we care for the children.

Our Goals:

1.  Working in unity and peace and love

2.  Knowing that we are all here for a purpose

3.  Growing in trust and support for one another

4.  Learning how to have good communication

Please join us in praying:

Dear Lord, You are a God of mercy, grace, and love.  Help me to be more like You.  Please help me to work for unity in our Village of Hope.  Bring peace and love among all of us.  Give all of us strength and wisdom as we parent these children.  May your Holy Spirit move among us.  Amen

I’m so excited to see God work as we meet together and learn how to love and serve each other better.

A Broken Window

I was sitting at my desk at school when I heard the sound of breaking glass.  In the next instant one of the first graders made a mad dash past my window and to his class.  Of course, kids will always let you know when some other kid does a bad thing, so it was easy to find out who it was.  I discovered that Wezi Nandala was the child who had broken the window and run away quickly.

I went to the Grade 1 classroom and called him out of class.  I know his background.  Not too long ago his parents both died.  He now lives with a relative who is also taking care of two other orphans who attend our school.  When I talked to the “father” he expressed to me that Wezi had been having some trouble adjusting to his new life.

Wezi quickly admitted that he had thrown a rock to go in the flower bed but he made a “mistake” and it hit the window.  What do you do as the “Head Teacher?”  To be honest I just wanted to put my arms around him and pour love into him.  The whole time he was playing with his ear, a nervous reaction I’m sure. 

God extends grace to us for our “mistakes,” accidental and deliberate.  He knows our hurting inside.  I think too many people believe that in that situation God would make sure that we got a good spanking for breaking the window.  But God longs to just wrap us in His arms and say, “you are loved with an everlasting love!”