Monday, June 18, 2012

those funny looking mice

Sometimes you experience things that change your life.
Things that alter your vision...
a birth of a child
the death of a spouse
a wayward teen.
Sometimes it is a trip to another country
to see God's beauty in the sea, the air and the land.

And for me it was a trip to 
Jackson, Kentucky.

To a land so beautiful...
but the people so broken...
so in need of God's Love.

And while I was there...
I met people committed to bringing
Hope and Love to the people.
To loving the poorest of the poor,
to feeding the children both physically and spiritually.
To day in and day out point all they
come in contact with
 to Jesus.

The Happy Church focuses on children.
The reality these children live in is mind blowing.
Things I would expect to see in a third world country,
not in Midwest USA.

Parents that numb their lives by
continually living in a drug and alcohol induced state,
leaving little ones to be raised
on their own, or by a grandparent
and even a great grandparent.
One little girl was in the van on the way
home from service and was talking with
a lady from my mission team...

She was explaining that every night
her mommy and her boyfriend
her daddy and his girlfriend
(by the way they all live together in the same home)
will get drunk or high and wake her up
and "play tricks on her"
but when they aren't bugging her
she explained that
the mice will often walk over her
keeping her awake.
But then she said," those mice are funny looking...
they have big heads, skinny bodies and long tails"

It makes me stop and think,

those little ants that find there way into my kitchen
aren't anything.


10 comments:

Christine said...

Ohhhh!
What a trip. The pictures are beautiful but eerie, knowing how broken some of the families are.
You and Madison have my respect. That must of been one of most rewarding but difficult times.
Please, if you can, share more!

Ronda Batchelor said...

Touches my heart, thanks for sharing.

Jen said...

heart wrenching..thank you for sharing and for doing.

Jen said...

heart wrenching..thank you for sharing and for doing.

Lynne said...

Oh my . . . this made me stop, think and want to ask . . . how can I help . . .

I can't imagine . . .

Michelle said...

So sad. It makes me stop and think, too.

Barbara @ 21 Rosemary Lane said...

Dee Dee...you are just so right...those little ants ain't nothing...not compared to what so many people, childern, live with, everyday, right here in our great country.

God bless you and how you've touched their lives, even if just for a brief time. Your touch will stay with them as a reminder that hope does exist, just as the memory of what you and Madison experienced will always be with you.

This is a beautifully written post that I am saving in my file of favorite writings...and I will go back to this to remind myself, and my children of what we are here to do on this earth...to love and help one another.

Thank you so much for sharing this most important life expierence.

Michelle said...

Ryn: Dee Dee, so sorry to hear about your camera. I hope it was just a fluke and starts working again. Thanks for your sweet note. I use a Canon 60D and my daughter uses a T3i. Any DSLR can work magic with you operating it!

Heather{Our Life In a Click} said...

Oh that is so sad. God bless you and the others helping those children!

Sue said...

I'm just sitting here counting my blessings and thinking how special you are to have gone on this mission. Is there something that can be done from a distance? The thought of what those children go through breaks my heart.