The woman who birthed 9 children and mothers an additional 7 has said that.
She has worked to unite refugee women from feuding tribes. She has pursued training and support to do this. She has taught women in need skills to provide for their families. And, she has given sacrificially to women and children around her.
But, she has expressed to me how her heart longs to care for the fatherless and how so many don’t share that heart around her.
When I learned that there was an orphan summit in the city where Mary lives, I knew we had to make sure she got there. And, today, she did. Her older sons escorted their mother to the summit and even managed to take a few pictures to send me. The pictures are grainy, but the 1,000 words are in high definition.
Looks a bit different from stateside orphan summits. I have no idea how many people were there today. But, I know the one person I wanted to be there was there and she was there with her own sons and other kindred spirits.
She emailed me when she got home:
I came back so changed and filled with peace and joy during the meeting. I felt in me the testimony and blood of the I AM. God counts on us about the orphans. It is our duty to care for the orphans. My sister Kelly, God wants us to put our faith in motion through caring for the others. We are to be caretakers. He is the bread winner. He supplies all our needs through modelling what God did through Jesus Christ. How I wish you were there.
I can’t be there with her in Nairobi right now. And, I may never be. But, my heart is full knowing that she was there today and left encouraged, full of a heart longing to serve God right where she is.