Hope

This is baby Hope!  She arrived yesterday at only a few hours old!  And it was a total coincidence that I was wearing a Hope shirt.  She is SO TINY oh my goodness.  I think all the blankets might have actually weighed more than her.  (But really).  What a privilege to hold a child so young, to be part of her very first hours on earth.  Because of where I go to school, the concept of hope is huge for me, as my time at and journey to Hope are such huge evidences of God working in my life.  It represents a home and a time of great spiritual growth.  This baby (the first one to arrive at the AGC Baby Centre while I've been here) has been a huge reminder from God that He called me here this summer.  It's a huge blessing to have that reminder.  I went down to help feed her for the 10:30 feeding last night.  It was so peaceful, with all the little babies sleeping, to just sit with Hope and try and make her eat.  I'm becoming more comfortable with the routine here, and this little darling has brought such joy.  Bless the Lord oh my soul!

Today, I went to Salgaa for the first time.  There is a ministry to prostitutes there through the Africa Gospel Church (parent of AGC Baby Centre).  Wow.  The work team that has been here has been there as well, so we broke into several groups and went to visit the women in their homes.  The woman my group visited with told us her story with unswerving honesty, although there were tears on her face at times (and others in the room as well).  Through the combination of her life circumstances, she ended up in her situation- a situation that very quickly became a trap.  Now, she has accepted salvation and attends the support group part of the ministry, yet her life is still very hard.  We encouraged her.  We prayed for her.  We shared scripture with her.  We cried with her and for her, and for the countless other women in that situation.  Though I walked away heartbroken for her situation, she still has heard the Gospel.  She has knowledge of the one thing that can save her.  There is hope in that!  To see her through God's eyes, a beautiful and broken child, is to see hope.

"Those who sow with tears, will reap with songs of joy.  Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying their sheaves with them." --Psalms 126:5-6