my new friend

A few days ago we had a knock at our gate, I thought it was the girls friends coming over to play, and it was, but after them came 2 new girls. I reconized them from the street, but I don't know their family at all. They wanted to play with my girls so they came in for a while but I told them that I should meet their mother if they want to play here. They were very excited about the idea of me coming to their house. So the next day after they finished school they came and got me and I walked with them to their house. (they don't get out of school to 5:00) I was not quite ready for the visit that was about to take place. After climing up three very steep, very uneven, and very narrow fights carring Abram's not so light 23 pounds I was tired before the visit even started :) After only talking for a few minutes she stated telling me her very sad life story. She is not from this city, and only has one sister here. Her husband is not a good man, he hits her and the children, he has also divorced her twice, but both times has taken her back. She would rather not be with him, but he will not let her have the children if they seperate. She told me she only stays for her children, he also rarely lets her leave the house; she does work for 2 hours every morning, early. But other than that she must stay at home, she doesn't ever get to visit her sister. She said it was okay for me to be there since I am a foreginer. (I thought that was interesting). I wasn't sure how to repond to anything I was hearing, it was all so overwhelming. I have heard some sad stories since living here, but this one was one of the worse as she described the way her and her children are treated. One of the rules that we are living with right now is being home by dark, so after about an hour I had to leave. I felt complety defeated. I hadn't been able to share anything important with her and I just felt like I was not cut out to be a counserlor! What could I possibly share with this women? The next morning one of her daughters came over with some bread that she had baked for me, I couldn't go back and visit her that day so I asked if I could come back the next. So today I had my second visit with her. And after time with the Father about this, I felt much more equipped, not that I have anything to offer her, but I know the one that does. We had some great conversations. I was able to tell her about having a relationship with Him and then at the end, I told her you may never have peace or joy in your life, but you can in your heart, then I was able to share how much the Creator loves her, that he made her and loves her so very much and that in our book one of His names is love. She had tears rolling down her face, I know that she had never heard that God loves her. She had already told me early it was about works and doing what is right, being clean on the outside being the important thing. She had never heard about have a relationhip with Him. I will go back next week to see her again, please be thinking about her, and her 4 children.