Her Name Is Rebecca....

To know how wonderful it is to know that, you must know the story... She is our friend. I have no idea why she is in Scotland or how she got here. But she has been a consistent joy and light to us in this crazy city. Her smile is toothless, yet beautiful. Her face is always beaming with gratefulness--even when we have nothing to give her. And most of all, she has enjoyed my children, which warms my heart to her even more... Paige has been the most open to her--Paige is, by nature, our most social and relational. So, Rebecca must have picked up on that too. Plus, Paige likes to drop the coins in her beat up Starbucks cup--so, Rebecca has made the habit of kissing her little hand--(even when those sweet little hands don't drop any coins in...) Even when we're all the way across the street--and it's a large, busy street!--she still seeks us out with her sweet, grateful smile....

Maybe it's because neither of us truly belong here. Maybe it's because, in a sense, we're both sort of homeless right now--(which is ridiculous for me to say when I have a roof over my head). Or maybe it's because God in His infinite wisdom and kind nature has knitted our hearts together... I really don't know why, but she has become our friend. And she is what I will miss the most about Scotland.

You see, she doesn't speak English--except for "thank you" which comes out "thank ye." And I can't even figure out what language she speaks! I have asked her what her name is before, but to no avail. Today, all that changed. Zion and I ran to the store this afternoon. It was a rare day, and Shane came home in the afternoon to take a mental break and get ready for one more final push on the 'ol Ph.D.! So, since Paige and Maddox were sleeping, Zion and I headed out to get some milk and bread. When we came upon "our friend," as we've called her for the last 2 months, I could tell she was doing something with her fingers. I realized she had cut herself somehow and was bleeding. She had managed to find a tissue, or maybe some other kind soul had at least offered her that much... I asked her about it, and she knew what I meant. She asked me about Zion then... I spoke his name and she wanted to hug him. Then I asked a few times what her name was and patted her leg--and she said, "Rebecca." I wanted to jump for joy to know her name. Finally! Well, we wanted to help her--we always have--and she had a very practical need today. So, we dropped our coins in her beat up Starbucks cup, and Zion and I determined to help take care of her.

There was a pharmacy just a couple doors down, and we popped in there to find the necessary bandages and some wet wipes to clean it off. We headed on down further to get our milk and bread. When we came back by Rebecca, we stopped. I pulled out the bandages and wet wipes and she couldn't stop her smile or stop saying "Thank ye." I cleaned her up, bandaged her finger and then gave the stuff to her so she could keep taking care of it. She just beamed at Zion and me, and kept giving us hugs and kisses. It was precious.....

I started praying a while back that God would help us understand each other whenever it came time for us to leave. I want her to know that I will never forget her, and that even though we're going back to America, we will pray for her... How do you say this to someone who speaks another language?? I pray we already have in some ways... But I still also pray that God will let her ears hear me when I tell her, "God loves you and so do I."