{"id":3228,"date":"2012-08-30T06:00:08","date_gmt":"2012-08-30T10:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rachelmariestone\/?p=3228"},"modified":"2012-08-30T06:00:08","modified_gmt":"2012-08-30T10:00:08","slug":"please-keep-telling-your-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rachelmariestone\/2012\/08\/30\/please-keep-telling-your-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Please Keep Telling Your Story…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

We had a great time in Colorado meeting with all kinds of people who are passionate about God\u2019s mission in Malawi. While we were there, I had the chance to share this piece in person.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
chitenges in a marketplace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

everyone asks me why did you say yes to this? <\/em><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve never even been there.<\/em><\/p>\n

And I say, because of a story<\/em><\/p>\n

Because of a story on a blog<\/p>\n

Because this world is a Facebook-Twitter-blogosphere<\/p>\n

And we can share stories.<\/p>\n

And this story, this story, is about a midwife.<\/p>\n

Who, on her first day, bloodies her hands welcoming new life<\/p>\n

Bloodies her hands binding up new mothers<\/p>\n

And as she washes those hands she sees, on a shelf,<\/p>\n

a row of brightly colored bundles,<\/p>\n

chitenge-<\/em>wrapped bundles<\/p>\n

And she asks: what are those bundles?<\/em><\/p>\n

Why, those are the babies who died today.<\/em><\/p>\n

That one was born dead<\/em><\/p>\n

That one had an infected cord<\/em><\/p>\n

And that one\u2013that one\u2019s mother didn\u2019t have enough to eat.<\/em><\/p>\n

And my hands move to my own belly,<\/p>\n

For as I read, I am eight months big-bellied,<\/p>\n

And I have every good thing.<\/p>\n

Every. Good. Thing.<\/p>\n

With the food I need<\/em>, yes, but also the food I crave.<\/em><\/p>\n

The food that will make my child not only healthy, but also brilliant enough for Harvard.<\/p>\n

Because a study says: more fish oil makes more intelligent babies!<\/p>\n

And then my husband comes home.<\/p>\n

I try to tell the story of the brightly colored bundles, but I can only say<\/p>\n

why? Why do I have every good thing\u2013more than enough Good Things?<\/em><\/p>\n

But a different story tells me, Jesus loves me, and this I know,<\/p>\n

And \u201cwho is my neighbor?\u201d<\/p>\n

She <\/em>is my neighbor, she is my sister,<\/em><\/p>\n

We are children of the same God<\/em>.<\/p>\n

And is God, not, in fact, closer to her?<\/p>\n

For blessed are those who mourn\u2013for God comforts them.<\/p>\n

And so, when my husband says, did you see this door? It is marked \u2018Malawi.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

I say, open it. Open it. <\/em><\/p>\n

For God has brought us to this door by way of a story.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We had a great time in Colorado meeting with all kinds of people who are passionate about God\u2019s mission in Malawi. While we were there, I had the chance to share this piece in person. everyone asks me why did you say yes to this? You\u2019ve never even been there. And I say, because of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2070,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPlease Keep Telling Your Story...<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We had a great time in Colorado meeting with all kinds of people who are passionate about God's mission in Malawi. 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