We are His children, He is our father.
We are the bride, He is our groom.
We are the sheep, He is the pastor.
We are his friends, and He is our friend.
We are greater, because He is in us.
We are accepted, because He is our advocate.
We are victorious, because He is with us.
Our old self is dead, because He died.
We are a new resurrected creation, because He rose again.
We will live, because he defeated death.
Lately I’ve been thinking about who I am in Christ. To work with hurt children, who have NO sense of identity you have to know who you are. I can’t say I’m so and so’s daughter, because some of them don’t have parents, never see their parents, don’t remember their family, or don’t want to remember their family or be part of it. They don’t know who they are or who they belong to. I have to have something to offer them. Does the above list sound good enough?
She lives in an impoverished neighborhood, her mom works all day and her dad’s an alcoholic. Usually she would roam the streets at night to escape her father’s physical abuse and got used to fending for herself. Her 5 siblings and herself have always been in need, they usually went to a local soup kitchen on the weekends to have a good meal.
This is the story of the newest member of my dorm. She came to Casa Hogar Douglas to escape the beatings from her father and the neglect from her working mother. She is only 12 years old and she had to move to a new home, without family, move to a new school, and move in with me. Almost every time I look at her I see hurt in her eyes. When I see her goof off to get the attention from the other girls, she screams how needy she is. And when she goes to any lengths (even dangerous ones) to make friends, she shows her brokenness. She is so hungry to be accepted and has no identity of who she is.
The other night I gave her a mini facial. We rinsed, scrubbed, and rinsed again and revealed the purity. We all saw the difference immediately and some of the other girls began asking for a mini facial as well.
For the last 5 days I have been getting to know what I have to teach her. Who she is in Christ. Just as the facial scrub revealed true beauty, I believe God will reveal the beauty she is to Him.
Please pray that she will find her place in my dorm and feel loved and accepted by us. Pray that she will see who she is in Christ.
In Christ,
Anna
Dear Heavenly Father I thank You for Beth and Todd and their obedience so long ago. But even as You were with Beth & Todd as they followed You to found Back to Back, You also knew of the journey that one day Anna would take and the journey of each child that would be under her care at this moment. All perfectly constructed to collide at this moment. Father I pray Anna is strengthened by the presence of the Holy Spirit, I pray she is prepared each day and renewed in You each day. Father each of these children, including Anna, is so very precious to You. Though the world that is their reality may make it hard to see that. I pray the Holy Spirit is constantly moving throughout Casa Hogar Douglas and through Anna. Always preparing her words, her heart and her mind, so that in the moment where there is just a small opening each child would see You through her, feel Your love through her, hear of You through her. Father move in a mighty way so that Anna i prepared for each opportunity You provide with each child. Father I know that You are moving in Anna just as You are moving in each child in her care. Father to You be the glory. I am so thankful for Anna and her commitment to the children at Casa Hogar Douglas. Your love shall flow from heaven above through Anna and touch all those she interacts with. Bless her with Your presence, wisdom, strength and courage. Father I life Anna, Casa Hogar Douglas and each child in her care into Your caring arms. Through Christ I come, Amen.
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