A stranded woman and her child arrived at a local community seeking shelter but were turned away by an old lady who refused them entry into her home. Find out what happened next.
Christine’s missionary journey had taken her to many places, but this one was the most challenging of all. Her parish sent her to a far community with few inhabitants. Christine, a single mother of one, always took her daughter, Mary, 5, along with her during her journeys.
This time around, she did the same. However, just two days into the mission, she regretted bringing Mary along because they fell upon hard times and had to spend all their money.
“Mom, I wish we never embarked on this missionary journey,” Mary complained to her mom.
“You shouldn’t speak like that, Mary,” Christine responded. “God will provide for us.”
During the challenging journey to the community, Christine wondered why she was sent to such a place and prayed that she would have a life-changing experience there.
When they arrived at the community, Christine saw that most people were gathered in the marketplace. So she and Mary went there and spoke to different people about the gospel.
Many of the people they spoke to were intrigued and wanted to know more. A young man was very interested in what they had to say that he conversed with them for a long time.
After that long conversation with the man and many others, Christine discovered that the sun was setting and suddenly realized she had little money left with her.
The trip to the community had cost much more than Christine envisaged, and she thought hard about how they would see out the rest of their time there and make it back to their home.
“Mom, I am very hungry,” Mary’s complaint jolted Christine back to reality. She used the little money she had left to buy snacks for herself and her daughter. While buying the snacks, she asked the seller if there was a place they could lay their heads for the night.
“There is none. Your only hope is to ask the community people,” the seller said. The seller pointed to the direction of the main community and told them to hurry because it would get very dark soon.
Mother and daughter did as they were told. They walked for about three kilometers before they found shelter.
They found two houses on the outskirts of the community and walked to them. Christine knew she would find more houses if they walked a little more into the community, but she and her daughter were exhausted.
Hence, they decided to knock on the door of the houses they found and ask if they could spend the night. Before doing so, they prayed shortly and then proceeded.
They knocked at the door of the first house, and an old woman opened it. When she saw Christine and Mary, she wondered what the matter was.
“Good evening Madam. We are so sorry to bother you,” Christine apologized.
“We came for missionary work in the community and are stranded. Please, can you shelter us for the night? We would be very grateful,” Christine pleaded.
The old woman looked hard at Christine and took a deep sigh. She wanted to help the woman but then she saw the young child with her and her decision was made. “No, I’m sorry. You can’t stay here for the night.”
Christine was very disappointed by the woman’s refusal and wondered why. She left the home in disgust and moved to the second one, which was bigger and looked stronger than the first.
Fearing the worst, Christine knocked at the door and hoped for a better outcome. This time, another woman, much younger than the first, opened the door.
After hearing what Christine and her daughter had to say, she opened her door and welcomed them happily. She even told them they could stay as long as they wanted in her home.
The woman prepared an empty room for them and asked them to be comfortable. She also made tea and gave them food to eat.
Christine and Mary were delighted and spent a few nights in the second home. However, a tornado came and wreaked havoc on the community on their third night there. The tornado was very heavy and destroyed many properties on its path.
The following day, Christine and Mary discovered that the old woman’s home had fallen to the tornado. However, the home they were staying in remained intact and suffered no severe damage. Christine felt this was a sign from above and decided to see the old woman.
“See,” Christine told the old woman. “It was God’s punishment. Because you refused us shelter.”
The old woman was devastated by Christine’s words but still managed to smile at her like a mother. Finally, she spoke.
“You see, I knew that a tornado was coming. My home was too old and frail. I didn’t want to risk you and your daughter’s life. That is why I refused to let you stay in my home.”
After hearing the old woman’s words, Christine was moved to tears. She had chosen to judge the woman for refusing her when she only meant well by it.
There and then, Christine realized she had learned the valuable lesson she prayed for when heading to the community. “I will help you repair your house,” she promised the old woman.
She did as she promised and helped the old woman rebuild her home. When all the work was done, she and Mary said their goodbyes to the community, delighted that they went there.
What can we learn from this story?
Never judge others by their No. Christine felt the old woman was mean when she refused entry into her home and judged her for it. However, she did not know the woman meant well and was only trying to save her and her daughter’s life.
Don’t pass judgment on others.
When the old woman’s home fell to the tornado, Christine quickly rushed to her and told her it was God’s punishment to her for refusing her and Mary to stay in her home. However, that was not the case, and Christine realized her mistake and helped the old woman rebuild her home.
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