August 1, 2006

New Life

Rosella always gets there first. Like the day she heard about Sabrina and Hector and drove over to their house.

Sabrina was 16, single, and 8 1/2 months pregnant. Hector was 13. Their mother was in prison, serving time for a number of reasons. There was no family income, and the tiny shack they call home was now without electricity, water, and air conditioning. There was no food in the house, and the Summer temperature hovered well above 100 degrees.

Rosella knocked, greeted, discovered, and jumped in. First, she took Sabrina to a doctor just to be sure all was OK with the baby, then she paid the power bill and got the A/C turned on, paid the water bill and got the water running, and then took Hector to the market and filled the house with groceries.

Rosella's like that, wishing she had more time to find all the Sabrinas and Hectors in the world.

Two weeks later, when their mom was released from prison, she came home to a comfortable clean house with lights, water, food, A/C, and a 3-day old baby girl sleeping comfortably in a new crib.

Rosella and her church friends had bought the crib and added boxes of baby clothes, soaps, rattles, Binkies, and everything else Sabrina's baby might need. They had scrubbed the house and were bringing food every day, helping care for the baby, and making Hector and Sabrina part of the family.

The next weekend, Sabrina's mom went to Rosella's church and asked the pastor to dedicate little Carmelita. He did, the five of them standing together on the platform basking in the warmth of an all-church family celebration.

After the service, Sabrina's mom slipped the pastor an envelope. In it was a $5 bill and a simple note. "You have given us new life," it read, "I thank God every morning for this new opportunity to make different choices in my life. You have shown us Jesus. Please use this to help someone who needs it more than we do."

The pastor gave the money to Rosella. "You'll know where to use it," he smiled.

"Remember the root command: Love one another." John 15:17 The Message

Dick Duerksen
Assistant Vice President
Mission Development
Florida Hospital