Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Women (and one man) Who Shaped My Life

I don't remember a time I didn't know my calling was to care for orphans.  I grew up on stories of women (and one man) who did the same:
a missionary in the fictional book Star of Light
Gladys Aylward (missionary to China; Inn of the Sixth Happiness)
Amy Carmichael (missionary to India)
George Muller (started an orphanage in England)
Mary Slessor (missionary to Africa)
I also saw countless street children, beggars, and refugees overseas.  One little girl stands out in my mind.  She lived in a Nuristani village near where we spent our summer.  She had a cleft lip.  No one would play with her; they threw rocks at her.  I wanted to take her home with us.  She stood in the street and stared at us, her mouth gaping, snot dripping, blood trickling down her face from where a rock had struck her.  I've always wondered what happened to her.