For Ragamuffins, God’s name is Mercy. We see our darkness as a prized possession because it drives us into the heart of God. Without mercy our darkness would plunge us into despair – for some, self-destruction. Time alone with God reveals the unfathomable depths of the poverty of the spirit. We are so poor that even our poverty is not our own: It belongs to the mysterium tremendum of a loving God. ~Brennan Manning

I think we should travel somewhere together today—to a destination not likely included on itineraries, to a place tucked away like a faded note in someone’s diary. When I think about people who have transformed my life, I can’t not think about this place.

And about the little ragamuffins.

I remember the first time I saw them—eyes aquatic blue or bronze, skin like cream or café au lait. Beautiful souls in a world of wheat fields and sheep. I…