“Since the tornadoes in Alabama two years ago, I have ‘felt called’ to work with a community in Hale county that lost 40 homes, 37 roofs, 6 children! This is a very low economic income area with a lack of education, broken homes, and many single parent homes. It is a world very different from where I live, while only 35 miles away. So far I have helped to build two debt-free homes to replace the two mobile homes; and assisted a student to acquire her GED and get a job at the local nursing home.
“The real success is the story of a woman so unlike me in every way. We made a connection very similar to the one between Mary, the mother of John, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
“We are soul sisters in the very depth of that meaning. We talk on the phone, visit, share our joys and frustrations, laugh and cry, love and hug like we have known each other forever. From the very first day that I visited and shared with her, I was there for her immediate physical needs. I would not leave her; I would continue to be present with her. She welcomed me with open arms and God did the rest.”