Feliz Año Nuevo!
Those of us participating in the Beehive Home for Girls take much delight and pride in this ministry. Each day we are reminded that it is God who sustains and directs us. There are many examples, such as four sisters (shown in photo) who come from a polytheistic tribe called Embera Chamí and have recently become new believers. In their excitement about Jesus, the younger sisters ask several times a week, "When are we going to church?" and the the older ones ask, "What can I do to help my parents know God?" These are the conversations that fill up our hearts to overflowing, when we know that the Holy Spirit is working powerfully in their lives.
There are many moments of joy: we laugh, we play, we tickle, and when there's time after finishing homework and chores, we gather to talk. The space we occupy has been transformed by moments of trust and intimacy with God and one another, since here, in the midst of our play, the girls are exposing their biggest fears and stories of pain.
One such story involves those four indigenous sisters, Yuliana, Claudia, Paola, and Luz Andrea, while walking home one afternoon after school. They suddenly saw their dad in the street. Only one of them recognized him underneath his filthy clothes and his face worn rough by sun and cold and malnutrition. The others simply backed away when he approached. There were no hugs or kisses. Seeing their reaction, he stopped and hung back, his eyes full of tears. The father and daughters exchanged a few words before we continued on home. The rest of the day this bitter encounter laid heavily on all of us. The sisters cried, unable to make sense of what they had seen. Who can bear to see one's father in such a state?
Later, I spoke with them privately to process the situation, to help them recognize the consequences of their father's decisions. They listened and then went on with their normal routines, seeming to take it all in stride. But a few days later, in the midst of laughter and games, they recalled the episode again and openly expressed their grief. However painful, I was struck by the beauty of this moment in how the girls connected with one another in such a spirit of compassion, offering encouragement, advice, prayer. Together they took in the sorrow of those circumstances yet with the freedom and hope that it is God who raises us up out of every situation. They love one another as a family in lieu of the broken families from which they come. Although the way forward is not easy, 13 beautiful lives are being transformed thanks to our Heavenly Father and your collaboration in this ministry. Thank you and Happy New Year!!
