The Bluebridge Orphanage for Girls was not like most orphanages. Instead, they treated the girls as if they were their own. Mr. and Mrs. McGrady were never able to have children of their own, so they became kind of like parents to the girls at the orphanage.
Here is the building before being fixed up and turned into the orphanage.
They could not afford much, for the taxes they received from the government were very little, but they always survived. Sometimes a visitor would bring food, exactly when they needed it. And the building had a huge fireplace in the middle of the great room, which they were so fortunate to have. How many nights had they sat around the fire to keep warm? How many meals had they cooked by the large fire? How cozy it was, though it was dark and cold in the rest of the building, to sit by the warm fire on a cold winter's night!
This night found them again, settled around the fire, old Mr. and Mrs. McGrady in their rockers, rocking to and fro. Twenty-six orphans, settled around on the floor. And there, on the other side of the fire from the rest, sat a young woman of twenty two. The room was filled the chatters and cries of the girls, but she did not hear a thing, for she was deep in thought. She sat, remembering her own past, a past not unlike most of the girls here. Some of the girls had been sent right to this orphanage, while others had been transferred from one orphanage to another. Five of the older girls had been transferred here two years ago, she had learned, when the Salem Orphanage could not afford to feed them. The Salem Orphanage. How she hated to think of that awful place.
"Get back to your floor missy! Scat! On with ya now!" a harsh lady cried as the four-and-a-half year old girl bent down and kissed the baby girl one last time. "Van Van" the baby cried, as the lady pulled the little girl out into the hall. "I told you to stay off of this floor. Stay where ya belong!" And with that she let go with a jerk, causing her to fall to the floor. She stood up, wiped herself off, and ran to the top floor, where she sat on her bed and cried.
Suddenly Evangeline was taken from her thoughts at the sound of a loud bang. Seeing it was nothing serious, she opened her bag, took out the notebook, and began to take some notes. Tomorrow morning, she decided, she would ask about the class.
She really wanted to teach the girls a class. When she was a girl, a kind lady had taken her once a week, and taught her all sorts of things. She had called the class, "A Greater Purpose." It wasn't a big thing, just Evangeline, and the lady. She taught her about Jesus, and how with Him, we have hope. She told her how if we submit to God's will, we will live a life of purpose, accomplishing things that are worthwhile. Her whole life, Evangeline had dreamed of someday teaching other girls, helping other girls to learn about God, and about how there is hope for the future. When God had called her here, to this small orphanage, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. All these girls, girls who had lost their whole families, girls who had been moved from place to place, how wonderful it would be to tell them, there is hope!
The girls had probably learned about the Jesus some, from the McGradys. "But if we had a class," Evangeline thought to herself, "every week, imagine how much more they could learn, how much they could grow spiritually. Imagine how much it could impact their lives. That class made such a big impact in my life. I want to do the same for others."
The next morning when Evangeline asked Mr. and Mrs. McGrady about the class, they were thrilled with the idea. "I'll even bake some of my pumpkin muffins!" Mrs. McGrady said with a jolly chuckle. "And you can use the attic, if you'd like," Mr. McGrady added. "I'm sure the girls would love to help you fix it up."
And so it was decided. Each Saturday, Evangeline and the girls, except a few of the youngest who Mrs. McGrady would watch, would have a class in the attic.
I can’t wait to read the book!
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