My Ruth.

There are thousands of things I want to say about this woman. How she has changed my life. How she walks in grace and humility. Other than my momma, this woman is the wife and mother I aspire to be. She walks so intimately and obediently with the Lord, loving others deeper than I have ever seen. Ruth has changed my life. Leaving her breaks my heart. 

Ruth had a birthday on Monday, unfortunately we were out of town so we weren’t there to celebrate her. On Sunday before church we sang to her and gave her a birthday card and chocolates. She cried. She is so pure. Seeing her cry made a tear roll down my face. We left for 2 days and came back Tuesday. She told us how upset she was that we didn’t get to celebrate with her, it broke my heart a little. I asked if her husband got her flowers and she said no. I said “NO?!?!” This woman deserves all the flowers in the world. She told us she wished she got flowers and I knew what I had to do. We had 40 minutes until team time and  so I grabbed some pesos and Alyssa and we ran 20 minutes down the road to buy some fresh flowers from the park we do ministry at  and jogged all the way back. She said she wanted a picture with us, the chocolates, and the card but had no clue flowers were coming. We sang her happy birthday with the flowers behind my back and when we finished I pulled them out. The second she saw them, her hands hit her face and she started bawling. She ran over and gave every single one of us a huge hug. She was filled with genuine joy from the smallest thing. I want to have joy like that. 

After this, we went upstairs and she shared her story. She told us how much she sees herself in each of us. When she was 14 she was in love with the Lord. Focusing on ministry, living for Jesus only. And shortly fell off. She told us that she holds so much shame for falling into the temptations of sin in the world. Looking for worldly pleasures and satisfaction didn’t fulfill her, but she still did it. After a few years she got it right with the Lord. Got married, had kids, and now is living at the foundation with her beautiful family serving every single day. She said that she wishes she didn’t fall off track and could go back in time to change it. Hearing her story fueled me. Seeing the redemption and restoration from the Lord in her life is amazing. She is so wise, I could listen to her talk all day long. I am sitting on the concrete floor, in the dark, looking up at her telling her story, and tears are flooding down my face. I deeply feel what she is saying. I sometimes feel ashamed with my story. How I used to walk completely opposite from the Lord. My life looked so different than it does now. Even when I knew the Lord’s name and His goodness, I chose not to follow him. Now in my relationship with Him, I sometimes have shame with how I used to be. But as I was hearing her story, I wondered why she would feel shame. She has been redeemed and so restored and changed by Him, I would never guess her story would look like that or hurt her in so many ways. I saw her as pure as the Lord sees her. As I sat there with tears in my eyes, I realized that this is what my story looks like too. I am no longer my shame and baggage. I am not who I was before I knew Christ. Not even who I was when I knew Him but chose not to follow him. His mercies are new every morning. I am just as clean as her. Her story touched me and helped me see mine clearer. 

We had team time right after she finished telling her story. My group was leading and I knew what we were doing, so I asked her to stay. We opened our bibles up to John 13… Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. We read it all together and we talked about service. Then, me and 3 other girls sat down in front of chairs with buckets full of warm soap water next to us. We sat and prayed for our team, our leaders, and Ruth. They worshiped, and when feeling ready, each girl came over and sat in the chairs in front of us. I had the privilege of washing their feet, and praying for them. Everyone went except Ruth. I turn around and Ruth is bawling on the bench. I grab her hand and sit her down in the chair. She didn’t want me to have to wash her feet, but I didn’t have to, I wanted to. We are called to serve each other, this was just one way that I could serve her back. As I prayed over her, I wept. Feeling humbled, but filled with so much love. I learn about the Lord’s love every day and this hit me.

The next morning I was doing my quiet time and she plopped herself down on the couch with me. I laid down with my head in her lap as she sang to me and braided my hair. I didn’t want the moment to stop. My Colombian momma, how I will miss her as I leave. Sometimes the language barrier is hard because I wish I could just talk to her about how much I love her, how amazing I think she is, and how much her story has changed me. My broken spanish doesn’t quite let me say it, but I know my prayers are covering it. 

I sit here thinking about how at one point I was planning on going to Peru and if I did, I would never have met Ruth. I was so crushed when my trip to Peru got cancelled. But now I am feeling crushed thinking that if I did I would never have met Ruth. It’s funny because I thought the Lord had failed me when Peru was cancelled. I was so mad at him because I did not want to come to Colombia, now I don’t want to leave.  He did the opposite of failing me. My heart is here. In a couple of days I will be sobbing in the airport after saying lots of see you laters. I say ‘see you laters’ because this time, I know that this isn’t a goodbye. 

See y’all soon! 

Corryn Scharff <3