Hi there! So sorry I've been MIA. Once full time started, time flew by!
Like I said in the last post, our program with mothers and their kids is a wonderful way to serve and connect with the refugee women here. One Ghanaian woman I met this spring is Susan*. My first impression was that she was painfully shy and quiet, like she wasn’t sure why we were there or asking anything about her. She seemed utterly uninterested in spiritual topics and didn’t have what could be described as a close walk with the Lord. Also, her living conditions were terrible.
In the months since, another teammate and I have visited her and her family regularly, being there through a new baby, her husband losing and gaining a new job, a sudden move to a different area of the city, and a freak hail storm. The timid woman with hunching shoulders has been replaced by a smiling, relaxed friend who likes to call us “dear”. We’ve started a study of sorts with her at her house. She still has many difficulties, but is starting to see how Scripture can speak into our lives intimately, how God’s heart is revealed there. Just yesterday when I visited, she shared something truly precious with me.
“Ever since you started visiting me, parts of my life have changed. I used to cry all the time and stress myself thinking about my problems, but from the beginning you’ve shared the Word of God, quoting it, sharing your own experiences. Now instead of crying, I think of what you’ve said and pick up the Bible to read, to know more. I don’t cry anymore.”
At this point she had a really serene smile, and I was tearing up because that’s exactly what we’ve wanted – to be beside her as she takes steps in her walk with God. Through questions with organizations and getting aid, advice given in different aspects, and just the support of a friend, she said we’ve encouraged her and that support lead her to taking steps she would have been discouraged of otherwise in the beginning. Again, all we’ve wanted was to empower them in their situation and goals. This is all the Holy Spirit’s work. While we read James that day, she had some awesome insights and I just had this flash of a thought: that she could be a matron of the faith - in her family, community, etc. Please praise and pray with me for this dear woman.