Unbidden

Chapter 6

Monday morning dawned bright and early.  And hot.  Robin pulled her hair up right away and put on extra deodorant before heading off to meet her girls.  They were assigned to a very small room in the schoolhouse.  There was one fan that they plugged in and they opened all the windows.  Robin was drenched in sweat before she even began.

The girls were all excited to be there and Robin allowed them a few minutes of gossip time before getting into her lesson.  It soon became apparent that the girls knew a good bit about their Bible and most were on the verge of making adult decision about their faith.

They brought some pretty deep questions to Robin about life and death and the inequality and suffering around them.  Robin found her own faith stretched as she tried to answer the girls’ questions.

“Robin, how did you not get angry at God when your husband died?” Carmen eventually asked.

Robin leaned back against the teacher’s desk, her eyebrows raised as she thought about her answer.  “I can’t say I wasn’t angry.  It felt too soon, like there was so much left that we never got to finish.  It was unfair that David was innocent and died while the other driver survived.  But just because I was angry doesn’t mean I stopped talking to God.  He wants all of us, every part, every feeling.  Even when we’re mad, He wants to know.”

“So it’s okay to be angry at God?”

Robin bobbled her head.  “It’s normal,” she conceded.  “God has a plan that’s much too complicated for us to understand.  When something like my husband’s death happens we don’t always see why God would let it happen.  It’s okay to get angry and upset as long as we go to God to let it out and ask Him to heal us.  If we just stay angry, it’s not okay.  If we talk to Him and let Him help us through it, eventually He’ll make us feel better and get past our anger.”

“Is that what you did?”

“It took a while, but yeah.  I believe that God is in control even in the bad stuff.   And knowing that God had a plan for David made his death hurt less, even if I didn’t know what that plan was.  It made me feel like his life had been worth something.  Everybody’s time here is different.  Some of us get to stay a long time, others only a little bit.  That’s why you always need to be ready.”

“You mean so when we die we’re ready for Jesus to come get us?”

Robin nodded.  “Exactly.”

The girls eventually went back to the day’s lesson before their time ended at noon.  Robin hoped the things she shared with them made a difference somehow.  She met up with her group back at the hotel and then after lunch they headed into the village.  Some families requested help with laundry or food prep while others needed major work on their homes.

Robin helped to distribute some of the clothing and other items donated by the church.  The children were excited to receive new shirts or shoes and they all loved the games and toys.  When that was finished she stopped at Lynn’s house to check in on her mother, Maria, and offer her assistance.  She was so close to her due date that a helping hand was much appreciated.  Robin helped with their laundry and dishes as well as preparing their dinner meal.  It was almost time for the mission group to head back to the hotel when a commotion outside caught her ear.

Robin wasn’t fluent in French by any means but she understood enough to realize that someone’s grandmother needed help.  She poked her head out the door to see Todd emerge a few houses up and follow a girl to a different home.  She looked back at Lynn, saying, “I’m going to go see if I can help.”

Lynn nodded and watched Robin hurry away.

Robin jogged to the home she’d seen Todd disappear into and came to a halt in the doorway.  He knelt next to a mat on the floor where an old woman lay.  “Can I help?”