Growth

Most days, life at the Hope House is ordinary. It is full of household tasks such as folding laundry (The washing machines run all day, 7 days a week, to keep clothes clean for our 50 girls), cooking food, doing homework, playing fútbol, and cleaning floors. Each morning begins with chores, breakfast, and a devotional led by one of the Big Sisters (the older girls) before they go to school. In the afternoons, the pattern is repeated with chores, lunch, homework, dinner, and another devotional before bed. Little by little, day by day, they are growing in discipline, in their relationship with Jesus, in their talents, and in their life skills.

Sometimes, growth isn’t noticed until an event draws attention to it. That moment was the baptism service our church held in March.

Seven of our girls decided to be baptized.

Seven of them declared their faith in Jesus.

Seven of them showed a huge step of growth.

When each of these girls came up out of the water, the whole church erupted in celebration. Some came in having no knowledge of Jesus, others grew up in church but never made a commitment to follow Jesus, and others rededicated their lives to Christ. These girls are some of the bravest that I know, and I love them for it.

The daily discipline and work that these girls show can sometimes be seen as ordinary, but it is anything but that. Dedication to the ordinary breeds extraordinary. Each of our girls has grown enormously in the past few months and their dedication to the ordinary rhythms in their lives is producing extraordinary growth.