...He’s still Faithful

words from a woman who is bearing so much on her shoulders. a woman who has lost her husband. A women living with HIV/AIDS. A women trying to raise kids of her own…still says that He is faithful! A women who works in her garden every day to try and make ends meet. A woman who has a growth on her neck that causes additional pain to what she is already dealing with….still says He is faithful! A woman who just had 5 MORE children abandoned to her from another lady who didn’t want her own children with HIV/AIDS…still says that He is faithful! a woman who met jesus for the first time just a year ago. A woman who gives sacrificially and puts others before herself. A woman who stands strong amidst the storms and trials…still boldly proclaims that her Lord Jesus, her Father in Heaven…is FAITHFUL & GOOD!

Meet my beloved HADIJAH. One of the many widows ROWAN is ministering to. Her situation is like so many others. the loss of her husband. disease stricken with HIV/AIDS. becoming the main caregiver. the task of maintaining the garden production to make ends meet. It’s a daunting cycle and reality of so many people. And just when you may think you have heard enough, there seems to be more…

As I sat with hadijah in her house, I couldn’t bear it any longer. I broke. I couldn’t keep the tears from falling. I began weeping in her presence. several faces looked towards me in confusion of why I was crying. Fighting through the tears, I finally got words out, saying, “I understand a little of the pain. I understand how much it hurts to loose a family member. To be left to figure out life. To try and make sense of it all and to try and keep going every day.” (i just couldn't quite grasp the idea of the only parent i had left, disowning me because I was sick). Hadijah, though, has welcomed these additional children in with loving arms and with full assurance that God will take care of ALL of them. 

as we sat together crying, she continued to say...

"though there is so much, HE IS STILL FAITHFUL AND GOOD!"

a video below...

(I was encouraged to make a little personal video of my visit. This is the first one I've ever done so bear with me! :) Also, in case you were wondering...AMAKA is a new program through ROWAN by bridging the gap even more to the people in Mawanga. As you become a member, you become a part of our family..which is in fact the meaning of AMAKA) 

Enjoy...

a beautiful people

processing through life with people who have walked with you makes it more comforting and it somewhat eases the pain. i am so blessed by every friend and family member who has loved me well, listened to all my issues, let me process out loud, encouraged, cried, prayed with and for me. i would not be where i am today if it wasn't for those individuals and God using them to shape and refine me a little more.  [you all know who are you.. :) ]

"As iron sharpens irons, so one man sharpens another"

Proverbs 27:17 

so when change comes and you move half-way around the world, it's not easy to take the people, you want the most, with you. it's a bittersweet feeling. to leave your family and friends behind. to try and find that sameness with others, who are culturally different. one may think it's not possible, but i would have to object to that. :) it may be a slow process, challenging, and hard at first, but it is possible...

as i sat across the table at dinner with one of my dear friends, i began sharing with her about the people i have come to know and love in mawanga. it didn't take long for me to tell her how loving, kind, hospitable, caring, welcoming, and selfless they were. i couldn't help tell about how much they embraced me from the moment i arrived in the village, to when i said good-bye. there was a warmth they each displayed which brought comfort and ease to my heart. i didn't feel like a visitor or a guest, but i felt like part of the family. and as a family member, there is a freedom you feel to be yourself. to not act like you have everything together. to come just as you are..with baggage, with fears, with doubts. with everything...because no mater what your story is, these people loved me. they cared about the things i care about (or they at least tried). and even though our cultures, our backgrounds, and our struggles may be different, we are united in Christ, which allows us to be of one mind, one heart, and one spirit. we have a common thread, which is Jesus. and He, Himself. is enough. He makes it possible for us to function as one family, one body of Christ.

these are the people of mawanga. they are beautiful. and i am honored to call them family.

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope when you were called -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all in all."

Ephesians 4:2-6 

"..so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."

Romans 12:5