Heart Hope by Olga

The nice little Korean Church had made me feel welcome despite the language barrier and the difference in cultures. But about halfway though the service a "bad" little boy started distracting the congregation. He was sitting with his parents near the front of the church when he began to get fidgety.  First he jumped over the pew next to him and ran across the room. He then sat with the teenagers for a few minutes before running back down to his parents being scolded along the way by one of the older members as she put her finger to her mouth signaling for him to be quiet and motioning with her hand for him to sit down. However that didn't stop the little tyke as he ran around even more.  That's when he discovered me...the only white woman with blonde hair in the room. He brought his simple Lego machine gun and started shooting me. I was tempted to use my finger and pretend to shoot back, but thought that might not be very appropriate. Several of t...

Recently when speaking at an afternoon retreat I encountered a beautiful lady. She was one of those women who was “really put together.” Her makeup, hair, clothing and accessories were all just right. And as with most people I meet, I recognized she probably had a story that I would be interested in hearing. As we were visiting, I learned that she was 84 years old, caring for her teenage grandchildren and had attended Wheaton College. At that point I realized that we had not been introduced, so I inquired about her name. She quickly replied, “Brooke Shields.” The expression on my face must have given away my surprise because she promptly began laughing.  Another tale was forthcoming as “Brooke,” my new friend explained that as a greeter at her church she wanted each and every visitor to feel special and welcomed.  Her introduction as a famous person was an instant icebreaker that would help people remember her as well as her friendliness and make them want to return to churc...