Always Going Home Inside

Many years ago in Redwood City, CA, we learned a song called "I'm Always Going Home Inside." It expresses trust in Christ and a deep feeling of oneness with God, and we are always heading toward the real Home. When my mother lay dying, I sang at least a hundred songs to her, and this was one of them. She had not moved a muscle for more than an hour at the time. At the end of the song, which closes with "Take hold of my hand," I said, "God, I don't think she can, I think you need to take hold of her hand." I had my hand lying on top of mom's hand at the time, and all of a sudden I felt her hand close under mine. So I guess she could still hear me, and she was still able to make the effort. Either that, or God took hold of her hand, and she closed her hand on his.

Now the time has come for Darlene's Mom to make that journey home. Dorothy Wright died on Christmas Eve, just in time, as I told my granddaughters, to make it to heaven for the big Christmas party. She made a great contribution to the work of Made in the Streets. In this picture she is teaching Laurent how to read. He had never been to school when he came to MITS at 13 years old, and she was his reading teacher. He loved learning, and after a year he entered the 7th grade at a local elementary school in Mathare Valley. He finished the 8th grade, took the exit exams, went to a catering school in Eastleigh, got an internship at the University of Nairobi, and he continues to work there as a trusted chef and caterer. And he honors "Shosho" (the Kikuyu word for "Granny") for getting him started, and he honors God for getting him the place at the University.

She had many great adventures in Kenya, and this one with the monkey was both a little scary and lots of fun. She loved watching the monkeys, who would get in the house and eat everything if they could. They would also take things such as car mirrors and carry them around. This one was trying to get the corn we were preparing for a meal.

Francis Mbuvi, Administrator of MITS who has known Dorothy for 16 years, wrote yesterday, "The lives she helped to shape are testimony of her GREAT HEART. She lives on in our hearts and with God forever."

Besides the teaching and the encouragement she gave street kids from the time she was 72 until she was 80 something, she also gave sizable funds to the street ministry, blessing the work in many ways. Let this be encouragement to all retired folk that they can do far more than they can dream or think of - when God is with them.

At the last, Darlene and I, along with our daughter and son-by-marriage, were beside her to express our love and say "Good-bye." It is such a blessing to be here and not in Kenya at this moment. We know that many have prayed for this, and we are grateful that God has answered "Yes" for our sakes. God always answers "Yes" in Christ. That's one of the reasons we want to go Home.

by Charles Coulston, Christmas Day, 2010