S-O-N-I-A

Once upon a time, there was a girl.* She grew up in the countryside. There were green mountains near her home and a cool stream flowed not too far away to take a daily walk there. She was born near the end of the war, so her first years were hard. She was strong and her parents managed to feed her. She didn't go to school, but she learned to work hard.

One day a boy from another village asked her parents if they could marry. After the required time of courtship, they invited all their family for the ceremony and managed a small celebration. When her husband was called to the city to work, she went along. Life was hard in the busy town. There was no land to farm and everything was expensive, but they held on. The girl was now a young woman and still worked hard. There was little to bring happiness, but things could always change someday. What did she expect? That was life for her people.

Instead of getting better, the sickness came. Her husband couldn't go to work. He needed to take pills every day and someone gave them special food to help him get strong. She did what she could, but being pregnant, she couldn't get a regular job. She carried water jugs and buckets of sand for those willing to pay for that kind of thing... and earned enough to eat.

Her husband died.
Her son was born.
She was told to take pills.
She was told to come for baby milk because nursing her son might make him sick.

One day the baby milk was gone. The people said she should come in a week. She couldn't read the paper they gave her, so she never managed to come on the right day. She went into the nice town built on rocks overlooking the river. At each gate she was turned away. "You can't work here with your baby." "We don't have anything for you today." And then, "Just wait here. I'll come talk to you."

Sitting on the steps, the young mother wiped a tear on the edge of her skirt and held her weakened baby boy. The stranger came and sat with her. She looked over the papers. She asked some questions about the child. She sighed. "Stay here, I'm coming." The woman came with a banana and scraped it with a spoon and the baby licked the sweet mash. "hmmm..." Happy sounds from the little one.

The young mother continued to feed the little one. The woman went inside and came back with a bag. There was no money. There was no baby milk. But there was food for the woman and bananas for the child and a smile and a little hope. And a prayer.

The rain came after the heat beat the town. The gardens back in the girl's home grew while she starved in the city. She tried visiting churches, but her heart beat fast and she couldn't stand among the faithful. They prayed and the evil left that gripped her heart. She was weak again. And time and time again this happened so she stopped going into the churches where she longed to find something... someone.

When the corn was being harvested, the baby boy was starting to reach and crawl and walk while holding mama's finger. The sun rested each night a little sooner and awakened a little later every day. The mother decided to visit the kind lady in the house on the rock. She smiled when she saw her outside the gate. "Come and sit in the shade here." They chatted. The young mother thanked the woman and showed her the strong little boy. "You helped me that day."

"I want to go home. There is no work for me. There is no family here to help me. In my place I can grow food and work with my two hands. It is too hard to live in this place alone." Her smile was shy and there was a little hope in her eye.

"Wait here and I will bring you tea." Inside the house, the woman asked a visiting friend to pray while she made tea and prepared some buns and chose some bananas. She prayed herself and asked for wisdom. Then she left the food with the mother and child under the tree and went inside to tell her husband about the need.

"She is alone. She wants to go home. I cannot give her money and send her away when I know her heart is heavy and she is bothered by the Evil One. She has come here for help and we know the King who will save her. Help me find the wisdom in His Book and ask for the King's mercy." So the woman prayed and the husband prayed and others prayed when they heard of the poor mother and strong child.

When the woman and her friend sat with the mother and gave her money for her trip they held a book. She agreed to hear their talk, and they told of love and a Father who called all to come for peace if they were worried and tired and hurting. This Father gave everything for the world to know there was hope. The only Son of this Father was punished by the world and killed, but the Father forgave the world and the Son lived. Everyone can have peace with God the Father if they believe in the hope of the resurrection of the Son.

"I want this."

So the woman and her friend prayed together with the mother while the boy played with leaves he pulled from the vines growing there. The mother sighed and blinked and smiled. "It is lighter now, in here," she said quietly while holding her heart. "The world looks different for me." She smiled. She looked at her son and the leaves and her hands on her knees.

S-O-N-I-A...
written in Heaven.
Angels rejoicing.

Sonia walked to the bus stop today and paid her fare to the mountain where she was born. She will go with peace in her heart and a Bible in her bag. The Lord will send someone to read it to her. The Lord will show His mercy over and over in her steps. The Lord will bring her help and send his people to guide her along the path.

I will pray. My friend will pray. My husband and children will pray. You might pray too.

*Sonia's story is mostly true, but I've added details about her childhood that are common to women living here that are not necessarily true for her.