My Friend Belinda

                                         MOTHER THERESA LIVES ON

                                                                      Part One


God has put a most wonderful woman in my life. Allow me to introduce to you Belinda Parks, a mother of two boys, married to Will, a woman who yearns after God's own heart. Belinda has devotedly given her life to a ministry that God has called her for almost twenty years, a ministry to a people that she has come in contact with by choice and perseverance. She goes looking for them with love and determination. She has never waited for them to come to her.
I doubt that Belinda knows the meaning of wait. She is a fireball that never seems to find a place to stop burning, and I have witnessed over and over how her heart burns and aches with love for the people of Atlanta that have little, who struggle day to day for the needs and necessities of daily life. She reaches out to a people who have made wrong choices in their lives, or are victims of others' wrong choices. She finds a people who many of us never see, never touch, in fact, who are invisable to most of us because we rush through our padded lives thinking only of ourselves or our own. And if we did come in contact with them most of us turn our heads and pretent not to see. We are loathe to touch them, to smell them, and our hearts have been hardened by our selfish and prejudiced thoughts that are usually lies we tell ourselves so that we don't have to go near them. We are afraid of them. These are thoughts that almost never cross Belinda's mind because she sees them with the eyes of God, merciful, loving, as brothers and sisters, and most needy of His Word and forgiveness.

I heard my call from God one morning in worship after pastor had mentioned Belinda's need for helpers in her ministry. I had no clue as to what I could offer. I had been ill for years, so I was weak and out of shape physically. But, in my mind I knew that God's workers always need prayer and encouragement, and I knew that was something that I could do. God would do the rest.

I spoke with Belinda after the service and told her that I was willing to help, to pray, to make phone calls, whatever she thought I could do. Her response to me within weeks was to ask for my teaching skills on Wednesdays at one of the women's groups. I was excited that I could give this offering to them, and that I would get to know these women, enjoy watching their growth in God, and helping in ways that I never thought I would ever get to be a part of. I was going to get to do something I had always wanted to do, reach some that were less fortunate than I, bring them God's Word, and just love them. I was most thrilled that God chose to use me just when I had begun to think that I was beyond that now, too old, too infirm. He chose to use me! I had no clue that God was planning to not only use me but to change my life and even my basic beliefs by being with a most unbelievable woman,  Belinda Parks.

God has begun a work in me, to change me. When I prayed for God to make me a more loving person way back in 2009, He began preparing me little by little, by bringing verses to my attention, softening my heart in areas, and bringing me to a place where I knew even a change in churches was necessary for my spiritual growth. That change brought me to my meeting with a new family of worshippers, a new pastor who spoke to my heart in new ways, and then Belinda, the most loving woman I believe I have ever met. God is just so exciting!