Meet Irene. Today is her 21st birthday. She lives in Kisumu, Kenya, where she and her family reside in a a small one-room place. Irene is married to Erick and they have a nearly two-year-old named Ruth. I met Irene in 2010, when she was a junior in high school. She had just come to live at the Hope For Children's Center run by the Hearth to Hearth Ministry.
Something about this young lady connected with my soul in deep way. I don't know if it was her wonderful smile (that is a bit hidden in this picture), her caring and carefree spirit, or her intelligence, but before I left for the USA I knew that she and I would be connected for the rest of our lives. I decided to sponsor her life through Hearth to Hearth, the ministry that has not only changed hundreds of lives in Africa but also the hundreds of sponsors that live all over the world. Now, Irene is in college studying to be a social worker, in hopes that one day she will be able to serve children who, like her, find themselves without parents or guardians. She is such a strong young woman and I must say that I have learned far more from her than she could ever learn from me.
One of the best parts of ministry is connecting with people. You just never know who you will meet that will come into your life for a purpose, and stay with you for the rest of your life. Irene is one of those people, as are many of you who are reading this (so thanks!). Who have been those people for you? I know that everywhere I have lived I have met people I will forever love. That is a true blessing from God!
This kind of thinking can cause us to pause when we come across new people. It is too easy to judge quickly and move on, without recognizing that each person we meet has a story and a history that shapes and molds them. Taking time to learn these stories opens us up to the movement of the spirit and to that "soul-to-soul" connection that can take us by surprise.
Hebrews 13 says, "Keep loving each other like family. 2 Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it." (Common English Bible)
In the rush of life we can be oblivious to those around us. Who are the angels God is calling you to get to know? What would it take for you to be more aware, less rushed, intentionally pausing for the gift of conversation?
Prayer: God, thank you for the friends you have placed in my life. Help me to be a friend to those who feel alone in this world. Help me to embrace others without judgement, no matter where they find themselves. Above all I praise you for loving me though I am yet a sinner. Amen.
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