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You are here: Home / Archives for Faith

Faith

Pain Is Beauty. Beauty Is Pain

March 13, 2017 by Kristen

Today, I walked into the salon on the property of the maternity home, funded through Mercy House Global, where the young moms get an in-depth course in hairdressing and beauty as part of the introductory vocational program. They wore matching pink shirts and professional blue aprons that said as much.

And they brightened at the “customers” (read: my family) who would help them learn on real people.

When they asked what service I wanted, I said a manicure. I left my nails unpolished since this has become a tradition when I visit. Plus, I knew they had just learned to do shellac nails and I was excited to see them in action.

But then the power went out. Because this is Africa.

They started touching my hair and I knew I was in trouble.

When the power didn’t come back on and my stylists pulled out dark brown hair extensions, I was afraid. But I sat down quickly because the chair over, they were experimenting on chemical hair relaxers. I love Jesus and all, but I’m not crazy.

When the girls started braiding the long extension into my bangs, I took a deep breath and gave myself a pep talk for the next two hours.

They say it hurts to be beautiful.

And they are right.

Because, wow. Ouch.

This week, my family is getting an up close look at the most beautiful people in the world. But beautiful people don’t just happen. As the Bob Dylan song goes, “Behind every beautiful thing, there is pain. . . ”

The most beautiful people are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” ―Elisabeth Kugler-Ross

I cannot even begin to describe the collective horrors these young girls have experienced in their lives. It’s enough to make me weep just knowing. It’s a sorrow I carry and some days I just try to manage their trauma secondhand and I’ve only just heard their stories.

They have lived them and continue to deal with physical and emotional consequences and the effects of their pain. I think that’s why when  you ask any one of the girls what their favorite class is, they almost all say salon, second to tailoring and dressmaking.

Yes, these classes introduce them to practical skills that could turn into jobs some day. But I think they love them so much because it’s a chance to feel pretty. And what girl doesn’t love that?

Their young teacher, an orphan herself, just graduated with her certificate in dressmaking and this is her first job teaching. She has less than an 8th grade education, but we saw the beauty in her pain and knew she would be a compassionate teacher. It’s beauty from ashes everywhere I look.

Pain is a part of life. And when we can open our broken hearts to God, He will heal us. Nothing about what we do at home or at Mercy House is perfect. The consequence of pain is still evident in every girl in some way–through actions and attitudes.  God uses our pain and suffering–if we let Him– to remind us we are tethered to Heaven and not to earth. And when we press into it, as we have seen these girls do, instead of seeing only pain, we see beauty.

“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. –C.S. Lewis

So, yeah, we’ve all known our fair share of pain in the world (and I’m not just talking about a head full of braids–see below).

But if we look a little closer. We can see it.

Pain in beauty. Beauty in pain.

I mean seriously, have you ever seen a more beautiful sight?

Learn more about our work in Kenya and how we are selling loads of fair trade product every month to help sustain two maternity homes and a new transition home. If you’d like to donate towards our vocational program, there is a need for 6 more sewing machines, some cosmetology equipment and our staff dreams of beginning the process of turning the existing program into one that offers certification.

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9 Comments Filed Under: Faith

The Cure If You’re Bored With Your Christian Life

November 22, 2016 by Kristen

This isn't going to be your typical Thanksgiving Week blog post. But since nothing about the days leading up to Thanksgiving have been average for me, let's just go with it. A week ago, a middle eastern man walked into our Mercy House retail store for an appointment he made with my husband and I, set up by friends at church. He works with Syrian and Iraqi refugees who have flooded his country for asylum from ISIS. As he tried to wrap his mind around fair trade product, economic ... Read More

14 Comments Filed Under: Faith

The Inconvenient and Uncomfortable Truth of the Gospel

September 15, 2015 by Kristen

You've seen the refugee crisis in the news. The pictures, the video footage, the heartbreaking stories. You've read about the unthinkable choices, the danger, the suffering. And if you're like me, you've found them hard to ignore. It's a helpless feeling--wanting to do something right here, right now, but not knowing how to help or even what to do. I get it because I feel it, too. I feel the same urge to act when I read about what Planned Parenthood does with babies or when I hear ... Read More

22 Comments Filed Under: Faith

When God Makes Us Uncomfortable (It’s Often To Bring Others Comfort )

July 26, 2015 by Kristen

My husband spent 11 years in a job he sometimes hated. During those long years, we constantly reminded ourselves to choose joy! to be grateful! to love what we'd be given! But working to live instead of living to work can be draining. Especially when you dream of doing something that matters. We had countless conversations about his sweet spot--that place where passions and skills collide (you know, once we crossed Nascar Driver off the list.) The same words surfaced again and again ... Read More

27 Comments Filed Under: Faith

God Can Redeem Anything.

January 21, 2015 by Kristen

We sat in a circle and we waited. She cleared her throat and began telling her story, looking over at her husband as he nodded in support. I was 15 and in high school. I made mistakes. I got pregnant. It was so hard and I felt very alone. I leaned in because I wanted to hear the whole story. She told of the absent teen father, how her parents did the hard work of mostly raising her baby so she could finish school. When her child was 5 years old, she got married. To the ... Read More

69 Comments Filed Under: Faith

The Truth About Church No One is Talking About

March 2, 2014 by Kristen

I can remember lying beneath the pew on Sunday nights with my twin sister. I can remember coloring and drawing pictures quietly while the pastor preached. I can remember what happened when we weren't so quiet. I can't remember not going to church. We rarely missed the three weekly services and that didn't count Easter Pageant practices and Friday night youth events. I left those pews for Bible college and left Bible college for church staff positions. I spent the first ... Read More

50 Comments Filed Under: Faith

I’m Not Going to Say Goodbye, Just See You Later

January 7, 2013 by Kristen

Friday morning, we got a phone call, the kind you never want to receive. We jumped on a plane, my husband first and the kids and I followed, to see my sister-in-law and my dear friend who was on life support, an unexpected complication to her diabetes. We prayed, sobbed, and finally, we said goodbye. Watching someone you love take her last breath on earth is heart wrenching. But knowing it means she is with Jesus is breathtaking. Coming into this world is sacred, so is leaving it. As ... Read More

62 Comments Filed Under: Faith

“When In Doubt, Choose Change” -Lily Leung

September 6, 2012 by Kristen

Back in May, we made a big family decision. Putting our house on the market seemed really spur of the moment to practically everyone in our lives. And it was, kind of. We wanted to move, but were resigned to stay because sometimes easy wins. We just couldn't imagine packing up the house we'd lived in for nearly nine years (and our garage that housed Mercy House) on the heels of our trip to Kenya. Our reasons for moving might not have made sense to some, but when our kids asked to attend ... Read More

38 Comments Filed Under: Faith

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