Kristen Welch and I are sorta, kinda, soul sisters? As I serve on the board of directors of the ministry Kristen founded, Mercy House Global, and we daily serve together to dream up for you the best #FAIRTRADE beauty of The Grace Crafted Home and The Grace Case that 100% supports the Kenyan maternity homes of Mercy House — so I get to see it first hand again and again, what we can all do together to change the world for women, if we say our brave yes. On Sunday, Jan 24, 2021, one of our three maternity homes in Kenya burned down early in the afternoon where 9 girls and 9 babies live, along with staff. We are SO GRATEFUL to God for His protection. No one was harmed and all moms, babies and staff were able to get out. It’s a miracle as we learn the details. Please join us and pray for peace and provision in this tragedy. Everything has been destroyed …and I am all in here with Kristen, with Mercy House Global, please consider joining us as we ask God to bring beauty for ashes…
The Transition Home is on fire.
The message appeared on my phone and I froze. No. No. No. I silently screamed. I typed frantically back and forth with Maureen, our Director in Kenya, who was in route to the burning home.
I only had one question, “Did everyone get out?! Are the babies and toddlers, teen moms, staff—are they okay? Please just tell me everyone is okay,” I begged.
I held my breath.
My phone rang and our precious Kenyan family appeared on the screen proving they were safe, untouched by the flames and smoke.
Maureen held the phone up and we cried together and watched the beautiful home burn down.
It may sound callous, but at Mercy House Global, we are used to catastrophes.
We have entered our eleventh year of rescuing pregnant teen girls in Kenya from trafficking and other traumatic situations and we haven’t had one year without some kind of devastation.
We know the enemy does not attack where he is winning. He attacks where he is losing.
I hung up the phone and felt numb most of the day. I checked in with Maureen a few times and she told me they were still there, standing near the ashes together, praising God.
It’s the position we’ve learned to take in a catastrophe because there’s always something to be thankful for. We will continue to thank God for extending His hand of mercy and sparing lives.
I opened my Bible to Isaiah 61 and read it several times, in a variety of versions, and clung to the hope of redemption and restoration that it promises.
I jotted down some verses from the chapter to share with Maureen the next morning. “Proclaim good news to the poor; he will make beauty from ashes; give us joy instead of mourning; how God will restore the devastated places.”
When I woke up early the next morning, the images that appeared on my phone took my breath away.
It was afternoon in Kenya and our staff had gone back to the house to see if anything was salvageable in the rubble. The smoldering ashes and ugliness left in the fire’s path was shocking.
I cried. Everything had been destroyed.
Almost everything. The final picture on my phone had this caption, “The only wall that did not burn. What a coincidence.”
My hand started shaking. I felt chills all over. I couldn’t type the words of Isaiah 61 out fast enough to Maureen. I told her that hours after the fire that God had directed me to the same words on the unscathed pictures on the wall.
We both began crying. What kind of God is this who would speak so clearly to us, thousands of miles separating Mercy House Global and Rehema Rescue Center?
God brought us to our knees, on our face, with a very clear message:
I will redeem what has been lost. I will take the ashes, the destruction, the loss, and I will make it beautiful. Until then, it is well with our soul.
The only wall that did not burn
I don’t know what kind of dumpster fire you’re facing in your life right now, but I believe the message God has given Mercy House Global is the same for everyone who is in the fire. I am with you. I will make all things new. Hold on to me. If you have Me, you have everything you need.
Nineteen teen moms, their children, and our housemothers lost all their personal possessions. This home was also the holding place for Fair Trade product before it was shipped to the USA—so the loss is extensive.
“Of one thing I am perfectly sure, God’s story never ends with ashes.” – Elisabeth Elliot
Might you consider joining Mercy House Global
as we ask God to bring beauty for ashes…
because every woman matters
The Lord is working in the ashes… please don’t miss this life-changing video…a true miracle
On Jan. 24, one of Mercy House Global’s three maternity homes in Kenya burned down early in the afternoon where 9 girls and 9 babies live, along with staff. You are invited you to be a part of this holy recovery story.
We are SO GRATEFUL to God for His protection. No one was harmed and all moms, babies and staff were able to get out. It’s a true miracle.
Please join us and pray for peace and provision in this tragedy. Everything has been destroyed …
Mercy House is launching fundraisers in phases to help begin the recovery process. They know that this won’t be quick or easy… but believe God is in the ashes and so and that’s just where they want to be.
Mercy House exists to engage, empower and disciple women around the globe in Jesus’ name. They provide for the rescue of pregnant girls in Kenya and provide a home for them.
Rescue a Girl. Empower A Family. Redeem A Generation.
If you are able to help, please donate here
Because every woman matters…
