I am now in Belgium having met another remarkable older woman. Leslie is from South Africa. She speaks 3 - 4 languages depending on how you count. She grew up with Africans and English (Africans is a simply dialect of Dutch). She married a Belgian and moved to this beautiful country in the 60's and since then has learned Flemish (another form of Dutch) and French. Her language skills are not what make her amazing, however. Though they are impressive.
Tonight I watched as she took a middle aged woman under her wing as naturally as you can say, "love." The woman, Francesca (or Franka in the congregation) led the meeting. Her husband of 23 years used to be the pastor. She has filed for a divorce from him because he was physically, emotionally, spritually, verbally, and mentally abusive, and although Franka is three years into her separation, her pain is still palpable. This is where Leslie came in...
Leslie has a presence about her. Yesterday I asked her about he mother because I was taken by her own strength and confidence. Like Mary in India she is comfortable in her skin. She is integrous and loving because she knows she is a princess of the King of Kings.
Now in her sixties - only retiring this year from nursing -- She was a sounding board all day for other hurting women... What is more, it is not a drain on her, it is just simply what she does. As I stepped back from the day's events, I wished that we had a women like Mary and Leslie in either of my congregations. In both Evergreen and St Mattie's there are Godly, growing 30 - 40 something women that need mentors. So where in America are they?
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