FS: My Favorite House Mother

Flat Sujata is a little girl who, like Flat Stanley, is as thin as a piece of paper because she got flattened by a box of mangoes. Flat Sujata moved to Mukti Mission where she loves her new life and all the friends she has made. These stories will help you understand what life is like for children at the Mission – children about the same age as YOU! We hope that you enjoy these stories of Flat Sujata and her friends so that you can pray for them every day. *Note: These stories are inspired by real-life stories from Mukti Mission.

“That was so much fun!” declared Flat Sujata excitedly.

“Yes, it was,” agreed her best friend Sami.

The two girls had just spent an hour helping in the Special Needs School at Mukti Mission. They had read stories to the girls, cleaned up a closet full of supplies, and even helped herd the chickens around so they could fetch the eggs from their coop.

“Those chickens were the worst,” mused Flat Sujata. “I’d hate to do that every day.”

“If you wanted breakfast you’d do it,” laughed Sami.

“True.” Flat Sujata paused. “Did you see that girl, Sunita?”

“Oh, yeah. She sure was happy.”

“I wonder why she was so happy. Doesn’t seem to be a lot to be happy about when you’re, well, like them,” stammered Flat Sujata.

Just then, the girl’s house mother came along. Her name was Auntie Pushpa. She was new to the role with the girls and just starting to get to know them. Flat Sujata thought she seemed like a nice lady.

“How are you girls doing today?” Auntie Pushpa asked. “Did you enjoy your time with the Special Needs girls?”

Sami and Flat Sujata exchanged glances. “I sense you had some questions,” Auntie Pushpa noted with a smile. “Helping with Special Needs is not easy…”

“That’s right,” blurted Flat Sujata. She hung her head, embarrassed that she had spoken so rashly.

“That’s okay,” Auntie Pushpa assured her, “we all can feel that way at times.”

“Why was Sunita so happy?” inquired Flat Sujata.

“Well, I don’t know Sunita very well yet,” responded Auntie Pushpa, “but like a lot of Special Needs people, if they are cared for, they don’t see their life as difficult.”

“I guess it is all they know,” Sami noted.

“Yes,” Auntie Pushpa continued, “but Jesus helps them have hope. Their teachers at the school care for them and teach them about Jesus and the Bible. So, learning that He loves them becomes an important truth.”

“Sunita was always smiling, in fact, I think she had the biggest smile,” Flat Sujata pondered.

“She’s also bustling about assisting her classmates,” Sami interjected. “She seemed to know what needed to be done and was willing to do it or help doing it.”

“You know,” Auntie Pushpa thought, “I bet that when Sunita first came to the Mission, she wasn’t like that.”

“Why do you say that?” inquired Flat Sujata.

“Many residents come to the Mission with hard lives. It takes them a while to adjust.”

“Yeah, like you Flat Sujata,” Sami laughed.

“I guess I was pretty selfish when I first came – well, maybe I still am,” she admitted.

“That is normal,” Auntie Pushpa stated. “Life is hard and when you first come to Mukti everything is new and different. For the Special Needs residents, it’s the same.” Sami and Flat Sujata nodded their heads in agreement, remembering their first days at Mukti.

“Our Special Needs housemothers, caretakers, and volunteers need lots of prayer for patience and wisdom! It’s a team effort,” Auntie Pushpa informed the girls. “But God is providing those very things for them, and girls like Sunita now thrive, showing remarkable growth and even helping considerably with responsibilities.”

“Well, I’m glad we could help today,” Flat Sujata remarked.

“Yes, and maybe you can help those girls have hope like you have,” Auntie Pushpa encouraged.

“I’d like that,” Sami concluded.

Flat Sujata nodded her head. But in her heart, she was still confused, but, perhaps a little less so this time. If Jesus could help these Special Needs sisters, then He could help her.

“But He can only help you if you ask Him,” a quiet voice said inside Flat Sujata’s head.

“Thank you, Auntie Pushpa, I think you’re going to be Sunita’s favorite house mother!”

*Names changed for privacy and security. Images representative.