Have you heard about Molly?
I learned about her through my blogging friend CC, and I want to share Molly's story with you.
Molly Hightower was a beautiful 22 year old girl from Port Orchard, Washington. She graduated from the University of Portland in May of 2009, and in June began a year of service working for Friends of the Orphans, in Petionville, Haiti. She wrote a beautiful blog in which she chronicled her hopes for the children there and the joy she found in her work. Sadly, the last entry was written by her family. Molly lost her life when the seven story building in which she lived collapsed during the earthquake.
Molly's blog is filled with photos of the precious children she loved.
It's impossible not to see their faces and think about the thousands of children who were killed in the quake. So many were surely orphans.
It got me thinking, who mourns for them? For the children who had been abandoned by their families, who'd experienced unimaginable loss long before the earthquake hit?
Who cries for them?
Of course the people who cared for them mourn, if they are still alive. But don't you wish we could know their names and their stories, so that we could say prayers for them? Celebrate their lives as we celebrate Molly's life?
It comforts me to remember that even though we don't know them, God mourns for them.
I think of scripture that promises this, like the passage in Luke 12:
"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
I also remember the words of my favorite Psalm, Psalm 139. Then I take a deep breath and say a prayer.
I wondered if I should post about this at all. After all, this particular blog is supposed to celebrate creative inspiration, not Bible thumping. :) Yet who inspires creativity more than the Fount of all Creativity, the creator of all? And I don't know about you, but I'm getting really tired of hearing a few crazy pastors talk about the earthquake in terms of God's will. My friend Vaughn, the chaplain at Furman University, wrote a great essay about this in our local paper, and received quite a bit of angry email. I read comments like theirs and I just imagine God's tears. Not for those who comment (though I would think they grieve God too) but for those who are hurting or were killed.
This life is a mystery to me. I'm thankful that I'm not asked to have it all figured out, but to try in my own feeble way to live in love. And I'm thankful for friends like you, who are so good at doing that!
Much love to you, Becky
17 comments:
Here is the prayer written by Sam Wells, Dean of Duke Chapel. He says what we are all feeling. May God's Shalom cover us all as we take in the depth of this tragedy. May we all recognize the loss and the suffering and realize we are all called to be like Molly. Blessings Becky, as you continue to pursue your ministry here with such amazing grace.
Sam Wells: A Prayer for Haiti
God of the living and the dead,
we wail in grief at the pain and loss and horror and distress
of our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
We do not understand your ways –
that those who already suffer the most,
now suffer so much more.
Lead us to repentance,
that we who have sinned so much are punished so little,
and they who already struggle have now impossible burdens to bear.
Where people are still breathing under collapsed buildings,
give them air and hope and courageous searchers.
Where children are injured or orphaned,
find them trusted friends and generous caregivers.
Where despair is infectious and disease or looting spreads,
bring patience and forbearance and healing and strength to conquer temptation.
And when others look with compassion from afar,
release resources, empower expertise, shape political will,
and bring deliverance for your people in their distress.
Through him who was crushed and bruised for us,
in the comfort of your Holy Spirit. Amen
This prayer is beautiful, and this post is both poignant and inspiring. Thanks for sharing the story of this devoted life
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing Molly's story...what a dear person she must have been! And those precious little faces! I feel like adopting a dozen of them myself!
You know I have a sister who lives in a very "scary" part of the world...she's there to share the love of Christ and the Gospel. I always say "Even Daniel in the lion's den was where God wanted him to be...and he was taken care of...so the very safest place for him to be was right THERE, because he was in the center of God's will!)
In theory that's easy to spout off, in reality, I must live and daily give my family into the loving hands of the Creator knowing He loves them more than I do.
Again, the folks in Haiti, past and present, are in my prayers.
It's so sad, but it helps me to think that they are in the arms of God's love. That they will not suffer any more. That they are in a peaceful, wonderful place without racism and poverty without pain and privation. That they are reunited with their loved ones who went along before them.
I loved this. You can thump your Bible all you want! I see the news reports on the orphans and I can't help but cry. I want to adopt all of them and love them and give them all the physical, spiritual, and emotional nourishment they need. I'm so sorry for Molly's family - I'll pray for their comfort.
How extremely tragic. I keep thinking about all the orphans also. It is heart wrenching.
What a beautiful post, Becky. You are 100% right and please feel free to thump away. Yes, I too believe that God is shedding "tears" up in heaven. Very eloquently stated.
So hard to recognize God's plan in this, but I trust he's got one. And I think I see him in stories like Molly's--if we never suffered, we'd never be inspired to do anything but satisfy our own selfish desires.
What a great point you make. I'm been doing a little bit of cringing as I listen to certain pastors speak out on this...God bless those people.
And then they blame people for getting killed.
Yikes.
What a lovely girl and she is who we should remember.
Love Renee xoxo
Thank you for this story. I did know the story of Molly ... living in the NW, it is a big story here, and she attended a local college here. It breaks my heart and is so hard to understand ... someone so beautiful - both inside and out - and helping so many ... such a devastating loss. She was a beautiful person in every sense of the word.
Thank you all for your thoughtful comments. You're beautiful!
Thank you for posting your message. Too moving for words.
Thanks, for sharing Molly's story, Becky. Life is a mystery.
Thanks so much for this, Rebecca! I think we need to all say what is in our hearts. You always do, and I love that about your blog.
So appreciate these photos of the children that you shared here today and previously.
Hugs,
Mary
Molly attended college near our home in Portland and her story is in the news here. Thanks for sharing her story and the story of Haiti. I have a heavy heart for the people in Haiti.
I finished reading your book this morning and love imagining living in France. I wonder if an outsider could ever be considered one of them no matter how long your lived there. In October we were near the place you found the buffet and I wish I had known it was there. Thanks for sharing your story.
What a special person Molly was. God certainly used her in the best way possible. Becky, you can thump away any time you like. Thank you for sharing her story and the difference she was making.
Big hugs,
Barb
Thanks for sharing Molly's story. I will check out her blog...it's sad about her life ending at such an early age. I also read the newpaper article and agree with what he said. Thanks for telling it as you see it and celebrating this life who paid a price for trying to do the right thing. It's your blog, say what you feel like saying...oh, I love Tanner, he is a wonder dog!!
hugs,
Mary
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