I'll never forget what she said that day

Written by Kendra Petty
 
It was an exciting day. Homeschoolers in Action, were helping Ronada and her two daughters  move into their new apartment. I tagged along with my camera in hand to capture on video the occasion .
Standing in a narrow hallway of on old house turned into apartments, I took a moment to ask  Ronada about her experience staying at The Refuge. 
She stayed with The Refuge for about a month.   Ronada says she was scared when she first came, but  the people volunteering were so caring, they made her feel welcomed.   She even made lasting connections  with with  other guests in The Refuge and with volunteers. The whole experience had been a positive one that she hadn't expected.  
We had a great conversation among the chaos of moving, and I felt I got a lot of great footage for a video I'm working on. The volunteers from the Homeschoolers in Action  brought some pizzas in for a lunch break, so I decided it was  a good time to wrap things up and be on my way. Standing in her tiny kitchen saying my goodbyes, she looked at me with tears in her eyes. Ronada redirected her two girls to a task in another room then said something that I'll never forget.  Before coming to The Refuge, Ronada says she had been in a very dark place.  With a tear running down her face and with great emotion she said "I know I would not be alive today if not for you (The Refuge). You saved my life."
I went away humbled. It's so easy to get caught up in all the distractions that come with  keeping The Refuge moving along that I lose sight of what it's all for. 

  “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,f you were doing it to me!’

Jesus said that somehow when I help others in need, in reality I'm helping Him . A great mystery. that I'm willing to participate in. I do this because I love Him and this is how I can show it.  Thanks Ronada for the privilege of being a part of your life, and for the profound reminder that I'm doing  this for Jesus.

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