“We do not always walk crowned with laurel. . . . ’Tis not enough to help the feeble brother rise; but to comfort him after. This we find the greatest responsibility of our Mission work. . . . With simple faithfulness, therefore, let us go forward looking to God for our pattern, then weave it into human life; thus will the world become better.” —Donaldina Cameron, mission home report
This quote from Donaldina Cameron has made me reflect on my own life and my motivations in serving others. When a young slave girl arrived at the mission home, it was one thing to provide a clean bed, three meals a day, classes in sewing and reading, but an entirely different thing to provide the emotional healing. I believe that this is what Donaldina is referring to. The "crowning laurel" is the rescue--something to be lauded by the outside world. But the "comfort" is the continued care. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually--this is a lifelong process. Recovering from the trauma these young women faced didn't take a few weeks or a couple of months. It took years, and Donaldina Cameron and her staff members were in this for the long haul.
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