Fatima is twenty-two and has seven children. She was married when she was fourteen. Her youngest are beautiful three month old twin girls! She looks tired, as any mother of new born twins would. And she is surrounded by the women of the camp as she welcomes us onto her front porch.
The women around her share stories of husbands leaving them for second wives. We listen and do our best to combat those stories with the truth of a God who loves and pursues each of them in ways they will could never imagine.
Her story sounds wrong to me, but is it wrong or is it just different? She has a husband and a big family; something that brings honor in her culture. She was married young but so were my grandparents and great grandparents. She has the freedom to entertain guests and hear the good news of the gospel!
This is what I’m doing here. Holding and feeding babies who can only be told apart by their earrings for a few hours and give mom a break while seeds of the word are scattered all around her. Those sweet babies heard the gospel for the first time today. If that’s the whole reason I’ve come here, it’s worth it.
