When Things Don’t Go As Planned

When I first started blogging, I made a promise.   I said that we would try to let those who read our blog know not only about the ups of ministry among vulnerable families, but also to know the downs.

We have an amazing job as we work among the families here.   There are incredible opportunities – times when we see God do the inconceivable in the lives of the moms, the children, the staff and the community.   At times it is a thrilling ride which is hard to believe.

Then, there are those times when we taste the agony of defeat.  These are the messy times when the reality of the complexity of poverty sets in.  These are the times when we realize that a mom was not being honest with us (when you are desperately poor it can be hard to tell the truth) or when a mom makes what we would consider to be a poor choice for her family (yet in the end, it is her choice to make and not ours).

This was one of those hard weeks.

On Wednesday we learned that one of our moms left her family and chose to go to an Arab country to become a household servant.   She came to the project on Tuesday, helped make jewelry all day, picked up her daughter at 4:30 pm and then at 11pm that evening left her mother and her two children behind and flew on an airplane for the first time in her life in search of something better.

On Wednesday her mother showed up at the Day Care in tears, aware of a new twist for their family . She, as the grandmother, would now be the sole caretaker and provider for this mom’s children, her grandchildren.  What do you do as a 50 year old woman who has no education and really only knows begging for a living?

Now, before you speak harshly of this mom,  try to understand the complexity of her situation.  She is living a life of poverty here and while she has glimpses of hope, her problems still seem insurmountable.  Into this situation comes an opportunity to move to a different country where you are told by an agent that you will make more money than you could ever dream of making in your home country.  You start to think that you will sacrifice so that you have something to send home to your family over time.  It is a decision that thousands of people make every month.

The problem is that many times there is a wide difference between what is promised and what is delivered in these scenarios.   She is in our prayers.

So, our aim is to keep families together and now we have a Mom who leaves for another country, leaving her child behind.  It’s a bit hard for me to wrap my brain around.   So, we change our approach and we do the best that we can.  The girl will continue to be part of the project and we will support her grandmother along the way.  We will help this little 18 month old girl to be cared for in her family – until her mom returns.   We simply shift gears, that’s all.

And in the meantime we will pray for this mom and this little girl.  Please join us in this.   Pray that Mom is protected and is granted a good situation when she arrives.  And, pray that this little girl can understand that while Mom will be coming back, it will be some time down the road.

Thank you for joining us in the times where we are sailing along…and the times when we hit those disorienting bumps.