they danced

so the first 5 ladies have danced and yesterday another group danced too...and so it will be at 10.30 on other wednesday morings over the next few weeks; managing directors, translators, nurses, galley staff all gathering to watch the ladies dance.

but before hand, the 5 gathered in empty C ward, with new dresses stiff with wax, head dresses beautifully arranged for them, their makeup and nails painted and around their necks their handmade necklaces.

they looked at themselves in the long mirror, realising for the first time in one, five, fifteen years their own beauty. beauty that was masked, but beauty that had not gone anywhere....but a beauty that they are now rediscovering and stepping into. their new gowns were bright and vibrant against their dark skin, their lip gloss positively shining as their smiles grew more confident. the smell of stale urine a thing of the past, no longer will their dress have a wet patch or their thigh skin be broken from constant urine running over it.

as their gather their belongings and make their way back to their villages, please pray for them. all those lies that made them outcasts now don't exist. they are transformed women, beautiful women...that can once again be mothers and sisters and wives. may they step into those roles with a new hope in their hearts.