Today's project: get Sophie and James ready to go to church tomorrow. I think for the first time. At least for the first time to this church. Please pray.
I had written about an answer to prayer about our neighbor, Sophie, who said she would like to go to church with me (Nov. 15). She was going to go to church last week, but it's a little complicated and then she got news that the father of her child, Sophonie, was killed. She said that he died because his former boss paid 1000 gourdes ($25.00US) to a witchdoctor to put a spell on him.
I had given her money to buy clothes for church, but she said she used the money to buy clothes for Sophonie to go her father's funeral. That might not have completely derailed our plan, but the day before the funeral I saw that Sophie had artificial nails glued on to her toes! (Remember she's only about 17). I have only seen this once before when I was at a salon on my birthday. I was so surprised then. The salon was not fancy or expensive. The lady who was having them put on, looked fairly conservative, not very well dressed, etc. Now here was Sophie who comes to us saying she and her little girl have nothing to eat, with these fake nails on her toes. It really is cheap to get stuff like that done here, but I was upset that she probably spent money that I had given her for church clothes on something so (to me) ridiculous. I asked her if she had spent money on them, hoping that maybe she would say a friend just did it for free. She didn't really answer me. I frowned, hugged her and said I didn't like that, but that I love her and then laughed. Then I let couple of days go by, I was really busy anyway.
I also realized that she should not go to church with the white people. I confirmed with her and Ecdes, who works for us, that walking in for the first time with the white people would make them see her a certain way. What they would think exactly I don't know and I don't think that Sophie or Ecdes can explain it to me, but we all agreed it would best if it weren't like that. Ecdes mentioned that it would be great if her brother, James, who hangs out at our house a lot could come too. And if Sophie came with Ecdes alone, then they found out she had a baby--THAT would not be good for them. And, I offered to watch Sophonie, so that Sophie could go, at least for the first time, without a 3 year old to worry about. Complicated, huh? Anyway, when I asked James, he said he would like to go too but just doesn't have clothes. We'll be working on finding clothes & shoes to lend James and Ecdes agreed to help him buy some used clothes "off the street" if we can't find any that fit. Actually it's great to be working together with Ecdes on this because he has expressed the idea before of some people being so bad they could never get saved (although not particularly James & Sophie.)
Yesterday Sophie asked me for money to get a permanent. When I disapproved and suggested she just have a friend braid her hair, she said it would not work well because it's too short, but she could get extensions. At first I started lecturing her about "if you can't afford to feed your child..." but then I asked her how much each would cost and could she have a friend help her out. She was only asking for $1US for the extensions (for her whole head) or $3 for the permanent. Extensions it is.
If you're wondering why we need to worry so much about clothes & hair for church, feel free to ask in a comment. I'll probably comment on it another day, but this is very long already, so I'm signing off for now.
Just please pray that they actually go,
that Sophonie is OK staying with me without her mom
that people are nice to them at church,
that they want to come back,
that God will speak to them.
Thanks
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