Seeing What is Sacred

Seeing What is Sacred is the title of a book that you might find helpful if you think that this next post is a bit unusual.  (Mom--I think you still have my copy.)  It talks about how God can speak to you through lots of things--like movies.  My guess is, if you have watched The Lord of the Rings, you have some sense of how this could be true.
I would not be telling you some important aspects of the butterfly story if I did not say that I have felt the Lord often speaking to me when I watch movies.  They have helped to shape my emotions, thoughts, and beliefs about a number of things, but often they also focus my attention on a particular problem or issue and the Lord will say, "Pay attention--I'm telling you something here." 
Some of the movies that I look back on as very significant as it relates to the butterflies may not seem to be directly related to you, but they were definitely points of connection for me. 
I'll list the ones that have been most significant regarding this particular issue--you may have seen many of them. 
Patch Adams
Born into Brothels (Link)
Grand Torino
Taken
City of God (Cidade de Deus)
Lady in the Water

I have also been hugely impacted by a number of authors.  No one more than Amy Carmichael.  She was a missionary to India and helped to save children from temple prostitution.  Her writings have been special to me for a long time.  She was my Grandmother Grace's favorite author and I have many of my Grandmother's original editions of Amy's works. 
Jim Eliot, Immaculee Illibagiza (Link), and Benjamin Skinner (Link), have also been largely instrumental in this process as well.  I have had the priviledge of hearing both Immaculee and Ben speak and they both have books that are well worth reading as well.  
It seems a bit vague for me to give you these pieces instead of making the connections for you about how they shaped my vision about the butterflies, but honestly, they all just sort of came together for me one morning as I was praying.  God took the pieces and all of a sudden it was as if it all fit together and I understood the value of the pain, the darkness, the suffering, and the loss of the past years and I knew what I wanted to do.  I wanted to find a way to bring sanctuary and healing to these women and children.  And suddenly all that I had gone through seemed insignificant in light of the fact that it felt like necessary preparation for what God was leading me toward.  The Lord had been talking to me about land, an oasis, my writings, the women and children, and HEALING.  But I had no understanding of what it meant or how it fit.  Then one Sunday morning, he brought it all together. 
I'll tell you about that next.