Divine Encounters

This past week, I had one of those strange days where I had many things planned, but instead the day was filled with strange and seemingly random encounters with various people.  However, by the end of the day it was obvious that it had been one filled with divine encounters.

Tuesday morning Casey left to take Kieren to her first day back at preschool (cute!) and then on to a meeting.  In just a few minutes he returned with a child.  He was leaving Ocean View and saw Minkey, Ntokozo's cousin, walking around nervously with her baby cousin Joshua.  Casey stopped to help, and Minkey was late to school, supposed to drop of Joshua but couldn't find the new location of his preschool and she was about to be locked out of school.  She called her aunt (the same one Ntokozo is 'estranged' from and had lived with before coming to our home), and her aunt asked if they could drop off Joshua at OUR house and she would come to pick him up.  So Minkey dropped Joshua in the car, shut the door, and hurridly walked off to school!  A confused Casey then showed up with the baby and asked me to watch him.  Joshua was crying and scared and I was about the same, and I kept thinking what were the unlucky odds that Casey would have seen Minkey THAT day.  I had things to do!  45 minutes later, Ntokozo's aunt showed up at the house, a woman who I had never met, but only heard horrible stories about from Ntokozo.  Dolly introduced herself and we proceeded to chat for 30 minutes.  I came to know a woman who tries her best, is in a bad marriage, trying to raise the orphaned children of her sisters, while also working and raising her own kids.  She is tired, but hopeful.  Dolly shared her love for Ntokozo and her hope that they can be reconciled because 'family is always family.'  I quickly realized God's hand in the morning and as she left was deeply grateful for the chance meeting with a woman who I too hope will be reconciled with the daughter of her deceased sister, Ntokozo.  I can't help but think ONCE again in this community, 'hurt people hurt people."  We have another example of that in Nitokozo's family - many troubled people that then hurt others, but it's so reassuring about HUMANITY when you see people's pure hearts and intentions to love even when they know they miss the mark so often.  But she thanked us for keeping Ntokozo and said she was really happy here, something we didn't honestly know.  Special.

Later in the afternoon, we were all hanging at the house, doing some work, and some kids knocked on the door and called for Casey.  It was Kyle Woodward, who comes to our house daily, and sometimes hourly, so we all looked at each other from the back of the house to try to force the other to answer the call.  Against my wishes, I walked to the front door to see Kyle, his brother Keegan (love), and another woman who I didn't know.  She immediately grabbed my hand and began talking to me like we were friends, and I realized she was Kyle and Keegan's grandmother (a YOUNG woman to be a grandmother, but that's how it rolls around here!).  She came bearing chocolates (so love her now) and began with apologies about why she missed Kieren's party (that had to do with her daughter's graduation and she got drunk... and then she told me like 3 times during our conversation...haha) but she wanted to thank us for the invitation.  But the best part was that she said wholeheartedly that she 'tipped her hat' to us and thanked us for spending so much time with Kyle.  It was actually very sweet and humble and rare.  And beautiful.

It was one of those days.  In mission work they don't come around too often; and I guess in life they don't come around too often either.  Those times when people just are real and open and show their heart.  I am half a realist and half and idealist.  Tuesday my realist heart was quieted and the idealist triumphed.  People do see good, they notice love, and 'sewing' into people is really what matters.  So thankful.  Divine.

Lots of love,
Sarah