redemption

I had such a wonderful weekend with my family. More on that later. The pastor's sermon this morning was about risking hope - about choosing to hope that something impossible and terrifying might be true, despite all the reasons there are to not believe. So for now, for Easter, here are two stories of redemption, from a place where choosing to hope is the only thing you can do in the face of such despair:

• From Fred at Extra!Extra!, a story about a new cafe set up by a group of nuns to help at-risk young women in Kinshasa by giving them job training and employment.
• Ida's story, which I need to go back and read every time the Congo threatens to make me give up.