Total Impact House

“How are our friends back in Chicago?” This was the question I was asked repeatedly—even by girls I was meeting for the first time. When hope is as scarce as a warm bed or a decent meal; word travels fast of a place offering all three.

When I walked into the compound this past week, I could feel that something amazing had taken place. The girls were now welcoming me into their home only weeks after I was privileged enough to open its doors to them. They had taken ownership and were receiving me as an official guest.

 
The girls were still a little shy at first, but their initial timidity was replaced by excitement when I asked them to show me their rooms. Agnes was especially proud of her bed and the care she’d put into making it. The sheets were smoothed and tucked in and lying on her pillow was a little Bible and bright pink, plastic rosary beads carefully draped to the side. She told me she had never had her own bed before and that this was something she had always dreamt of.

The girls took me around the house showing me the things that have changed or been added since I was last there; certainly nothing fancy, just little pieces of evidence that it was becoming a home to them. They were ecstatic when I told them their first sewing project would be to make curtains for all the windows in the house. Here, with Target, Crate and Barrel, and Pottery Barn at our disposal, it’s hard for me not to want everything done instantly. I could appreciate, however, the certain beauty in waiting for each individual chair to be made; each bed—even simple cooking utensils. Every new thing becomes an event worthy of celebration.

What amazed me the most was the physical difference I saw in each girl. They walked a little taller, their smiles were a little bigger and each one had an easiness that wasn’t there before. Six weeks ago, I asked them what they thought of their new home. “Until we are sleeping here, we just won’t believe it is really true.” They said. I asked them the same question this past week. “Yes, we know it is true, but we can still hardly believe it!”

From top to bottom: Jacki, Concy, Agnes

Our healthy and beautiful Jacki

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 11:27 am by Kristen Hendricks . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.