Faith

Across the road from our home, directly opposite J's bedroom, is The Lighthouse baby shelter. It's been there for as long as we've lived in the house yet I've never noticed it. Not until I was at home on maternity leave with my own little baby. There's a Moses Basket in the wall - a hole where a baby can be safely placed by an anonymous person who cannot or does not want to look after her child.

What would I do if on a cold, icy night, while J lies sleeping in her warmest clothes and her fluffiest blankets, I look out the window to see a young girl placing her baby bundle in the Moses Basket? I hope I never have to answer that!

On Saturday, Mandela Day, we decided to do our bit and explained to E that it was 'Do Good Day'. I was also looking for a way to teach E a little bit of a life lesson. I didn't want to scare her with stories of children who don't have parents, or to make her give her toys away, so I explained the whole process to her fairly simply and then four of us left on our little mission. With S carrying J in the sling and a carry cot in one hand, me weighed down by E, a massive tog bag and a couple of smaller bags, it must have looked like we were having a tough time to the black man in a fancy car who stopped to offer the struggling, walking, white family a lift! Wow, has SA changed! I was pleasantly surprised and would have been most grateful if we did have far to go, but as we were only crossing the road obviously didn't need the lift (we're not that lazy!). I hope he didn't think we were being rude.

Anyway, we dropped off our goodies and spent some time playing with the kids. It's a well-run shelter, sparkling clean and warm with lots of space for the kids, and a lovely garden. Speaking to the young woman showing us around, I was amazed at how running this shelter is part of her life - in fact, it probably is her life. She told us how each of the six kids currently living there had been found, and then smiling proudly, went on to tell us the plans for each one of them. When I asked her how the shelter was funded, how the staff were paid, the babies fed, she said, "Oh, we know God will provide". I was amazed at her faith and wonder what it must be like to have such a belief in some kind of someone. To be able to send one's worries and woes, joys and love 'out there'. I rush about my day with so much on my mind, so many concerns and stresses but in comparison there's actually very little wrong in my life. On Saturday I met a woman who has six little homeless children to look after, who sees such sadness and such gladness every day. She makes a difference and she has such faith that she unquestionably puts her worries in her God's hands and knows that He will do what is right. Wow!