Moving Mountains

I don't think I ever wrote about the daughter we lost...we didn't put her down somewhere and couldn't find her, and she didn't die; we lost her because her mom was a serious drug addict and she changed her mind about us just days before the adoption. That was a long time ago but I mention it as a prelude to tell a story about the goodness of God. Losing our daughter (hereafter "the event") was devastating, but that's not what this story is about.  After going through all the stages of grief and getting our attention back on "normal" life, God asked me to seek out our daughter's mother.  I was like, "You crazy God. She's an addict and I have no idea where to begin, plus, remember, she crushed me and my family"...but you don't say no to God for long.  Someday, not now, I'll tell the whole story after the event, how God moved a mountain there and how much we love the mom. So, I found her, but now what? Someone told me about these two people, John and Elsie Benton, that had a home, The Walter Hoving Home, in upstate New York, and they took in women addicted to drugs and told them about Jesus and they became healed from their addictions. We tried 4 times to get the mom there, but with no luck. However, we fell in love with Elsie and John, fell in love with the home, fell in love with the ladies and saw how Jesus was healing women with so many problems.  Our family became regular financial supporters of the home, we attended banquets, we sent cards of encouragement, we sent clothes and supplies, and when the ladies called for support we talked to them... I wished they were closer! We loved this ministry! Did I mention we loved the ladies! For years we supported the home, we got to know John and Elsie, we got to hear about the miracles Jesus was performing in the lives of the ladies.  Then 4 years ago Jesus did a thing.  He opened another Hoving Home 5 miles (door to door, exactly, I measured) from our house! I was their first official volunteer.  I see the ladies every week, even during the pandemic I did Zoom, and with proper guidelines I get to see them in-person.  I love on them, I teach them stuff and we do craft stuff and I tell them Jesus is real, He's got a plan, and He's moving mountains. That, my friends, is the goodness of God.

Pictured: the ladies proudly showing off rocks we painted together, one says "Faith moves mountains"