Angel

While worshipping at St. George’s the first Sunday of our trip, a young girl named Angel instantly connected with many of my classmates and me.  She attends St. George’s with her grandparents although she explained to me that she lives with her mother and her father can’t see her picture on Facebook or he will come "looking for her".  I am not sure I understand completely how her story fits into my synopsis of the trip.  But, she has stayed with me since my return.  I can’t help but wonder about the absence of a stable home life.  During our short visit together, she drew some images that were disheartening and downright scary.  I asked her what they meant and she referenced a movie that is indeed inappropriate for a young girl her age.  This broke my heart.  It saddened me because a mother who barely notices this little girl and pays no attention to what she watches on television does indeed have an impact on this life.  This sweet little life that is being shaped by which way the wind blows between Sundays.  On Sundays this little Angel is loved by her church family and her grandparents keep close watch to make sure that she is on her best behavior.  But, what happens between Sundays is what saddens me the most as a mother.  This must be why my heart continues to ache for sweet Angel and that my hope in the church and the impact it can have on a life is worth the effort and energy because we never know how a life may be changed by just a few hours a week.  I can’t help but wonder if this type of Spiritual Formation is exactly what John Wesley had in mind with the start of Sunday School for poor working children in the 1780s in England.  It is no doubt that his own home life was greatly structured with education and offering this to others who did not have such opportunities has proved to be a blessing for years to come.