Finding Our Way Home – Your Catholic Weekly Reflection from CMMB

In today’s Gospel, Jesus responds to those who criticize him for keeping company with the unworthy. He tells three parables about something or someone being lost and then found. We hear about the shepherd who left behind ninety-nine sheep to search for the one lost sheep, the poor woman who did not stop searching until she found her lost coin, and the prodigal son who returned to his father after squandering his inheritance. All three stories emphasize the importance of seeking, of returning. And they remind us of the infinite mercy that God has for us.

God never stops loving us. He looks for us always. He rejoices when we return to him. No matter what we do, no matter how wrong we are, or how far we stray, God, our loving father, is always anxious to forgive us and welcome us back home. His care and compassion extend to all—the righteous and sinners alike.

There was a time when Ngena, a widow and mother of five children living in a very remote and impoverished community in Kenya, felt lost. Overwhelmed by poverty, and ashamed that she couldn’t care for her own children, Ngena had to leave them behind in search of work. Her elderly mother, Grandma Grace, became their only caretaker. Grace was trying her best to provide for the children, but her age and a lack of options made every day challenging.  She had very little to feed her grandchildren and hardly any extra money to send them to school.

Grandma Grace and her grandchildren

Fortunately, two of these children, Muluki and Mutiso, became part of CMMB’s Angel Investor Program. They started receiving monthly deliveries of food and water purification tablets. The children’s school fees were covered, and they were able to attend classes.

As the weight of poverty began to slowly lift from her family, Ngena returned home. She saw her children getting healthier and doing well in school. She started to feel encouraged and motivated. For the first time in her life, she believed that she could make her life and the life of her children better.

“I used to have no idea how to make life better for my children. However, after seeing all the good things that are coming from the support we are getting, I decided to sit down and reflect on how I could move them to the next level. When the gap of buying food and school fees was filled, I felt a huge sense of relief, but I had to look at our other needs.

We had a very tiny house – if you can call it that. I dreamed of building a big, strong house for my family. I worked with the CMMB team to come up with ideas and a plan to build a better house for my family. So, I started baking bricks to sell to people in my community. The process was tough, but I pulled my socks up and worked hard to achieve my dream! I baked 7,000 bricks and earned $700, enough to start the construction of our new house.

Today, my dream has come true. Instead of waiting for something good to happen, I made something good happen. I am a happy mother sleeping in a good house with my children. May God bless the people who support my family. My prayer is that God always protects them.” —Ngena

Ngena and Muluki outside their new home

Today, my dream has come true. May God bless the people who support my family. My prayer is that God always protects them.”
—Ngena

In Kenya, our Angel Investor program provides a helping hand to the most vulnerable. It brings relief when it is needed most. And once the most basic needs are met, together with the family, we focus on how to create sustainable change. We want to empower the families that we work with by giving them the tools to improve their own lives.

Ngena left her children when she was at her lowest point. Feeling pressured by poverty, she had lost her way. But she found the courage to not only return to her family and rebuild her relationships, but to ensure a better future for them.

We are all capable of getting lost and straying from God at any time, but God does not cast us out for our human failings. He is a God of love, of infinite mercy. Knowing this, as true Christians, we need never despair. Let us turn to God today and find our way back to him.

In grace and peace,

CMMB – Healthier Lives Worldwide