Rose Night

It's November, the month of Thanksgiving. It is a time to count our blessings and to pause and appreciate all that we have in this land of plenty.

This year has not been an easy one for our family. But this November there is much to be thankful for.  After two serious hospitalizations and heart surgery, my mother is on her road to recovery.  Jason has been blessed with an incredible new career that he loves.  And after a year of no proper vacations, we have two flights already booked for 2014! Yes, God is good and now is the time to give back.

Jason and I both have a heart for the troubles in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). A while back I heard about a way to sponsor women who are victims of war crimes there through a program called Women for Women International.  This one year program helps women in the DRC (and other countries) to learn a trade and how to manage finances. The women learn to develop self esteem and a new sense of community as victims of sexual warfare are often shunned from their villages and families. They are left with no where to live and no way to provide for themselves.  When I asked Jason if we could sponsor one of these women, he instantly said yes. I filled out our sponsorship form with a request that our sponsored "sister" be from the DRC.

Today I first laid my eyes on Rose Night.

Rose is our sponsored sister for the next year. I was surprised to see that she is not from the DRC, but rather South Sudan. At first, I was a little disappointed. The DRC is a region I have read so much about.  I don't know as much about South Sudan.  Then I read the few sentences that were provided to me about Rose. 

Rose is 18-24 years old. That is the closest estimate she has to her own age.  She has four children, three boys and a girl.  While she has a husband, she has no job and works very hard at odds and ends to try to feed her family. 

I want to know more about Rose Night. She lives in a place called Jombo, but I have yet to find it on a map.  A representative from Women for Women suggested I write her a letter to learn more about her story.

If I had to guess, I imagine Rose Night's dreams are that her children have enough to eat and that one day they can go to school. I pray this year-long program will teach her the skills to make those dreams come true. Rose Night, what a beautiful name. It is a blessing to be your sister.