Wendy & Her Mom

Here's a story from another reader who wanted to honor her mother. Here's Wendy:

"At 19 my mom found herself pregnant. She waited until Christmas to tell her parents, and I was born barely a month later. They welcomed me with open arms. We lived with my grandparents. I guess I need to add that during this time my mom helped to raise my Aunt's kids as well. She has 6 kids and had an abusive husband, so the kids always came to my mom for things. When I was only a few years old my grandfather learned he had cancer. He died when I was three. During his final days he wanted to die at home, so my mom and grandma took are care of him and allowed him to do that. She was only 23 when he passed away.

From then we lived just my mom, me and grandma. My grandmother couldn't work, due to health issues, and weight, so my mom worked to support us all. Plus to help care for my aunt's kids. My grandmother got sicker and towards the end of her life, she wanted to die at home, so my mom had to quit her job so she could be there with my grandmother and allow her that small gift. I turned 11 the day we buried my grandmother and my mom was going to be 31 in a few months. So by the age of 31 she had lost both parents, her main support system.

She never once got support from my biological father. She tried but back then, well child support wasn't as widely done as it is now. So we made do with what we could. There were times we went without lights, because it was either pay the bill or get food. There were times she worried we'd not have a place to live. We moved around a LOT. When a home was beginning to be too much for us to pay the rent we would move. During the time my grandmother was dying she promised her she'd go to school to be a nurse, so we struggled so she could do just that. I remember helping her study for tests. She got her LPN and decided to go to work rather than going on for her RN degree because we needed the money.

I can honestly say while she worried the times we did without would be some of my worst, I remember them fondly. We had fun. I got to play Little House on the Prairie. During it all she worked hard to make sure I knew she loved me, and while she could have made the choice to either never have me, or give me away she didn't. That took alot of guts especially in a small town during the 70s. She did a great job, she took care of me, she showed me that women could be anything and that while life sometimes doesn't go as we plan, there are hidden blessings in there. I'll admit that when my grandfather died she had a lot of anger towards God. But she always made sure I went to church, and that I knew she was angry but that didn't mean I should be. She has found her way back to God over the years and now I see her with a stronger relationship with him.

She married not long after I got married and over the years while we've remained mother and daughter we are also best friends. She is the strongest woman I know. I could tell you more but I think I might have said more than you wanted. I'm not sure. I know that my mom found herself a single mother without her parents by the age of 31. Her only sister was in her own situation and really offered us no help. She tried to help her sister's kids as often as she could and in anyway she could. At various times they all either nearly lived with us, or did in fact live with us. She never turned them away, no matter what they needed she tried to provide it.

We were all a team, my mom, me and my cousins. She really had only us and we had her. We made it. And she showed me that I could do anything and I'd always have her to support me. I'm very proud of my mom and I hope to be as strong as she is."


Thank you, Wendy, for sharing your mom's story. Her life is an inspiration.--Lyn

Rosemary of Kenya & DiAnn Mills

I'm so happy that DiAnn Mills is sharing a story of a strong woman of Africa today.
Here's DiAnn:



The Courage to Take a Stand



When I think of courageous women, I think of Rosemary of Kenya. I first met her at a Christian guest house in Nairobi in November 2006. My husband had arranged for her to escort me into Southern Sudan so I could research a novel. I was excited about the trip, and she’d done all the leg work to make it happen. With a smile and a genuine hug, we became fast friends.




I didn’t assume a journey into a third world country would be easy. But with Rosemary having made several trips into Southern Sudan, I knew I was in capable and loving hands. She and I had our share of adventures. Once, while driving beyond the city limits of Juba, Sudan, our driver ran out of gas. I swallowed my apprehension and modeled my behavior after calm Rosemary. I prayed hard, and the situation worked out fine. Another time, we were in a car and suddenly found ourselves trapped by several vehicles. Just like the hub of a bicycle wheel, the spokes had us trapped. Again, I modeled my behavior after Rosemary, and a vehicle finally moved to allow us to pass.




One evening, several of us were sitting outside our compound. A man began to tease Rosemary about her heroic feats during the two decade long civil war between northern and southern Sudan. Rosemary had journeyed to the northernmost province of southern Sudan to bring food and medical aid to the suffering people. Amidst gunfire from enemy soldiers, she had to choose between diving into a snake-infested shelter and dodging bullets. She chose the snakes.



Today, Rosemary is hard at work helping the people of Boma, Sudan. Initially, she approached this primitive tribe of mountain people for permission to build a school. Once that was obtained, she gathered teachers to show them how to make bricks for the building, construct a mill for grinding grain, and lay out other buildings in the community. Through her leadership, the children of Boma are obtaining an education, and the people have learned about nutrition, sanitation, and Jesus. Did I mention she is a single parent rearing four daughters? All four girls are devoted to missions and the cause of Christ.




Who knows what tomorrow may bring for Rosemary? But one thing I know for sure is she will not allow a threat of danger to stop her from following God’s will.

You can read about Rosemary’s work at http://www.sea-partners.org/.