INSPIRATION
Our inspiration originated in the small West African country of Liberia; we were challenged by the gripping story of a woman called Ma Feeta (pictured above) and the orphans in her care:
But what we found so amazing about Christiana was that in the midst of unimaginable suffering, she had unwavering faith. Ma Feeta has taught her children not only how to survive, but how to thrive on very little with joy and thankfulness; they look, without question, for the beauty in the ashes.
They have great hope, hope that God will restore their ravaged nation, hope that they will be free of war, hope that their futures, once in question, will be enriching and significant. Their valor and devotion touched our family more than words can say; Ma Feeta and her children continue to teach us lessons every day: perseverance, patience, peace, and thanksgiving. They inspired our family to action and to service, and thus, the Shine Foundation took root.
On a sunny afternoon in 1997, Feeta Naimen was sitting in front of a house she had fled to during Liberia's longstanding civil war. She heard a commanding voice rise up behind her, "Mother, take your children." She turned to see a soldier standing just a few feet away. "I have no children" she replied.
"Mother! Take your children," he bellowed again.
"I have no children" she replied for a second time.
The soldier moved closer.
Under his breath, he pleaded, "Mother, take these children. If you don't, they will make me kill them. And then they'll make me kill you."
Even though she could not see any children, she agreed, "Yes, I will take them."
The soldier led her a short distance into the bush. There she saw children crouching close to the ground, all of them tied together with ropes. She didn't know it then, but there were 75 in all. God touched her heart; at that moment she became Ma Feeta.
She has cared for the children ever since that day, squatting in houses and shelters throughout the countryside, moving frequently as the war demanded. She has not lost one of them, to hunger, or war, or rebelliousness, or sickness. During the war, few outside agencies could get in to bring aid; it was too dangerous. But if you say she has not had any help, she will adamantly disagree.
"God sustains us," she firmly states.
Ma Feeta, under terrifying and stark circumstances, made a choice every morning to rise and SHINE.
In 2004 our family adopted six-year-old Christiana (pictured top left) from Ma Feeta's orphanage. Her young life had known nothing but war and the horrors that accompany it: hunger, homelessness, loss of loved ones and perpetual fear. She spoke of dead bodies in the road. She spoke of running from the soldiers in the night, of the rocks and sticks that would tear at her bare feet as she ran. She spoke of loud gunshots, people yelling, fevers from malaria, and eating rat.
But what we found so amazing about Christiana was that in the midst of unimaginable suffering, she had unwavering faith. Ma Feeta has taught her children not only how to survive, but how to thrive on very little with joy and thankfulness; they look, without question, for the beauty in the ashes.
They have great hope, hope that God will restore their ravaged nation, hope that they will be free of war, hope that their futures, once in question, will be enriching and significant. Their valor and devotion touched our family more than words can say; Ma Feeta and her children continue to teach us lessons every day: perseverance, patience, peace, and thanksgiving. They inspired our family to action and to service, and thus, the Shine Foundation took root.
