Freedom

Did you know that a butterfly's chrysalis is made from it's body?...the caterpillar's body hardens forming the chrysalis that the glorious butterfly breaks free from. It's true. A month ago, a friend asked me to paint an old window for her. This window would then (hopefully) be sold and the proceeds would go to help women get out of the red light district in Amsterdam. There were only two guidelines: 1. I had to paint the frame red. 2. It had to be based on freedom, whatever that looks like to me. As I thought of what freedom meant to myself and to these women, I thought of the butterfly breaking free from a prison made from it's own body... Just like these women are daily within a prison made from their own bodies as well... I have seen these women before... I walked past them in Amsterdam. I saw the rows of windows with women standing, waiting for their next customer. And as I walked, I wondered what they were thinking? I wondered how long they had been there and how long their days must be... I wondered how they would get out... A Caterpiller hardens into a chrysalis after only two weeks from being hatched... Two weeks... How old were these women? Were they born into it? Sold? Forced?...forced by people,poverty,hopelessness?... And when,if ever,will they get out?...and how?... It breaks my heart...and something has to be done. I am so proud of my dear friend for going there. For spending her life loving these beautiful women. For bringing the opportunity of freedom... For bringing hope...for bringing them true, pure love. She is the hands and feet of Jesus... She is His heart to a dying world. Some are called to go, some are called to pray,some are called to paint, some are called to send others- paying their way to go... But we are all called to love "We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less without that drop"-Mother Teresa