Building a Greater Los Angeles: A Beautiful and Touching Guest Blog from Power Women Power Tools Volunteer, Kirstin Wilder

As managing editor of Variety I get many invitations to industry events, but my favorite of the year is the one I receive annually from Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles for the org’s “Power Women Power Tools” build event. This year I brought along my two daughters, ages 6 and 7, to participate in the kids program that runs simultaneously.

At lunch, my girls were sitting beside me eating and listening distractedly to the program when a single mother who had recently moved into her new home took the stage with three of her five children. She spoke about the process and what a Habitat home had meant to them.

During the course of her talk, one daughter knocked over her drink, so I tended that. Then she complained that she didn’t like the chicken and wanted the beef, so I went back to the buffet to appease her and keep her quiet. The other one had to go “potty” so I stepped out to help her. I put crayons in front of the first to keep her occupied. They both hit the dessert table three times. Truthfully, I knew I hadn’t heard much of the lunch program and was certain my children hadn’t either.

However, an interesting thing happened at bedtime that night. When I tucked in my 6-year-old and asked her to say her prayers this is what I overheard, “Dear God, thank you for Habitat and the houses they build. We just praise you for the family that got a house and that they didn’t give up hope when they were told no they couldn’t have a house. We are so grateful that the children now have a home of their own and a yard to play in. Please continue to bless Habitat so they can build more homes and help more people. Oh Jesus, we know you answer our prayers and we thank you for answering theirs...” And she went on like this for about 2 minutes reciting the lady’s entire story from the lunch program.

I was stunned. How is a 6-year-old praying like our pastor? How had she heard all of this while eating, spilling her drink, coloring and getting up to get cookies three times? I do not have the answers other than to reiterate that God works in wonderful and mysterious ways.