Tomorrow we celebrate Easter. This is the biggest Moldovan family celebration of the year. I've been trying to get on here to post for three days and have not been able to because our internet has been so slow. This happens every year at this holiday time--everyone is calling and talking to family members and friends abroad. So many have left Moldova to live in Western Europe, America and Canada.
Most of the woman at Freedom Home do not have families to celebrate with. The memories they have of holiday celebrations are full of drunkenness, fighting and abuse. It isn't a great memory. So this Easter we found Christian homes for each of them (like we did at Christmas). One woman returned to the family where she celebrated Christmas! This has been a great connection for Amy* and her daughter.
A few weeks ago I spoke about this idea with Tina*. Tina is the newest in the home. She is smiley and full of life. After speaking she became quiet and sullen. She went to the window, looking out to hide her sadness. A staff member and I went to her to talk with her. She is afraid of rejection and remembers only horrible holidays. We assured her that we would find a place that was right for her. Yesterday she took her one year old and went to her Easter family. Pray for a beautiful weekend for her, full of love and acceptance. Pray for her to understand the joy of celebrating Easter focused on Christ, not drunkenness. Tina has her one year old in the home with her. She also is mama to a 5 year old and would love to regain custody of this daughter. Please pray that God will make this miracle possible.
Mary* also dealt with a lot of fear going to another home. Mary has been with us since last summer. She is often quiet. Not a lot has changed in Mary. Recently we found she has addiction issues. This past week she admitted that whenever there is prayer or Bible reading, she wants to run and scream and hide. Mary isn't just bound by addictions, but these other things give evidence of demonic strongholds in her life. This holiday she is in the home of a wonderful family in a village. We've worked a lot with the churches in this region and they are full of amazing people. We love the family she is staying with. We shared with the pastor the issues we face with Mary and his response was, "No problem. We will pray and fast for her and ask God to break these problems in her life this weekend."
These weekends are so important for the women. It is important for them to find love outside Freedom Home. It is important also for our churches to learn to care for our women.
As you celebrate the Lord's resurrection this weekend, please pray for the life and freedom for our women at Freedom Home. Please pray that this weekend will give good connections for the women. Pray that more of our churches would be open to taking the women during the holidays. (It was a struggle to find homes). Pray that God continues to heal the pain of the past in each of their lives.
Thanks for praying.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
A Day for Women
Today is International Women's Day. This is the European equivalent to Mother's Day, except we celebrate all women. Today at Freedom Home we went out for a pizza lunch. The women ate pizza until they were stuffed. Later we returned to the home for ice cream and cookies, and one staff member prepared a special dish for supper that she loves to treat everyone to. We had a great time together celebrating being women.
But I have been thinking about how many women are not celebrating today. They are still trapped in slavery, forced to prostitute themselves daily. Today I asked the girls at the home to pray especially for those who still need freedom.
I also am praying for the freedom of the souls of each of the women in the home. With some I'm seeing great things. They are finding freedom. The Bible says, "He whom the son sets free is free indeed." Others have not found that true freedom yet. They are freed from their trafficker and are free in body. But only Christ can give them the freedom in their spirit.
So today, on a day we celebrate women, please pray for those still in bondage to the trafficker.
And pray for our women in the home. Pray that they can find true freedom in their souls from the painful memories of the past.
Happy Women's Day to all!
But I have been thinking about how many women are not celebrating today. They are still trapped in slavery, forced to prostitute themselves daily. Today I asked the girls at the home to pray especially for those who still need freedom.
I also am praying for the freedom of the souls of each of the women in the home. With some I'm seeing great things. They are finding freedom. The Bible says, "He whom the son sets free is free indeed." Others have not found that true freedom yet. They are freed from their trafficker and are free in body. But only Christ can give them the freedom in their spirit.
So today, on a day we celebrate women, please pray for those still in bondage to the trafficker.
And pray for our women in the home. Pray that they can find true freedom in their souls from the painful memories of the past.
Happy Women's Day to all!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Family
Family.
It is a word familiar to all of us. We think of parents, siblings and extended relatives. For many it brings a sense of home and safety. For some it conjures up thoughts of discord and hurt. Most Westerners can anchor on a family--whether positive or negative.
Many of our girls at Freedom Home have never known family. Some never knew mother or father. Disease took their parents at an early age. Some did have parents, but alcohol addiction and family problems made the home miserable. Grandmas or aunts raised some of our girls, but they only put up with the extra child because they had to--it would shame them not to. Loving care did not exist in the home. State orphanages were left to raise several others.
Family is an issue little talked about in trafficking. Most articles written and studies done point to economic issues. These are easier to verify or site. Women go abroad, hoping for a better life, because they are poor. This is the accepted line.
While this may be partially true, the women are also hoping for love, for acceptance, for a place to belong. They dream of a family, and they follow the idea of marriage. They may not know the man well, but the dream of family makes them think there will be time later to get to know one another. That dream is shattered when, instead of a wedding, she is sold to a pimp. Strangely so, they find security in the "love" of a pimp who showers them with gifts along with beatings and abuse.
The sad fact we see in the women at Freedom Home is that, for the most part, the horror of life did not begin at the first beating by her trafficker or pimp.
It started with abandonment by a parent in childhood.
It began when a step-father or brother or neighbor raped her as a teen.
It happened when her mother died, her father remarried and her step-mother wanted nothing to do with her. The orphanage became her new home.
So they come to Freedom Home not understanding family, but desperately wanting and needing it. They come longing to belong and to feel loved.
At Freedom Home we become their first real family. We love them unconditionally. We care for them. We celebrate birthdays and milestones. We disagree at times. We care for them as if they are our natural sisters and daughters. We introduce them to a loving Father of all--God our heavenly Father. It is in this loving, caring and accepting environment that they begin to see that family can be different, and family can be good.
As believers, we have more than just our family of birth. We have a new family--the family of God. We pray daily that the women will understand their new birth into God's family.
Will you pray with us that the women in Freedom Home will understand this great family that God has given to us? Will you pray that He will help them to understand their "Abba" Father? Will you pray that they will understand that this family is real and safe? Will you pray that they find healing in the arms of a loving Heavenly Father through the hands of his daughters and sons who minister daily at Freedom Home?
It is a word familiar to all of us. We think of parents, siblings and extended relatives. For many it brings a sense of home and safety. For some it conjures up thoughts of discord and hurt. Most Westerners can anchor on a family--whether positive or negative.
Many of our girls at Freedom Home have never known family. Some never knew mother or father. Disease took their parents at an early age. Some did have parents, but alcohol addiction and family problems made the home miserable. Grandmas or aunts raised some of our girls, but they only put up with the extra child because they had to--it would shame them not to. Loving care did not exist in the home. State orphanages were left to raise several others.
Family is an issue little talked about in trafficking. Most articles written and studies done point to economic issues. These are easier to verify or site. Women go abroad, hoping for a better life, because they are poor. This is the accepted line.
While this may be partially true, the women are also hoping for love, for acceptance, for a place to belong. They dream of a family, and they follow the idea of marriage. They may not know the man well, but the dream of family makes them think there will be time later to get to know one another. That dream is shattered when, instead of a wedding, she is sold to a pimp. Strangely so, they find security in the "love" of a pimp who showers them with gifts along with beatings and abuse.
The sad fact we see in the women at Freedom Home is that, for the most part, the horror of life did not begin at the first beating by her trafficker or pimp.
It started with abandonment by a parent in childhood.
It began when a step-father or brother or neighbor raped her as a teen.
It happened when her mother died, her father remarried and her step-mother wanted nothing to do with her. The orphanage became her new home.
So they come to Freedom Home not understanding family, but desperately wanting and needing it. They come longing to belong and to feel loved.
At Freedom Home we become their first real family. We love them unconditionally. We care for them. We celebrate birthdays and milestones. We disagree at times. We care for them as if they are our natural sisters and daughters. We introduce them to a loving Father of all--God our heavenly Father. It is in this loving, caring and accepting environment that they begin to see that family can be different, and family can be good.
As believers, we have more than just our family of birth. We have a new family--the family of God. We pray daily that the women will understand their new birth into God's family.
Will you pray with us that the women in Freedom Home will understand this great family that God has given to us? Will you pray that He will help them to understand their "Abba" Father? Will you pray that they will understand that this family is real and safe? Will you pray that they find healing in the arms of a loving Heavenly Father through the hands of his daughters and sons who minister daily at Freedom Home?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
I'm Different!
It's been far too long since I've posted. So forgive me. I feel like a naughty child who once again has done wrong, asking forgiveness. I'm amazed at bloggers who can post daily. But sometimes life just flies by, and I wonder how we are already approaching the end of yet another month.
So today I want to report what a great success the "homes for Christmas" idea turned out to be. The girls all came back to the home beaming, full of excitement. They loved the families with which they stayed and wanted to know if they could go back for Easter.
I'm not sure what happened in Amy's life in those weeks away, but she realized she is changed. Twice, since coming back from the Christmas break, she has come up to staff and said, "Do I look different? I feel different. I AM different!" She continued the thought saying how she recals the woman she was two years ago, but cannot believe how different that woman is from the woman she is today.
Amy arrived to us by referral after she was found sleeping on the street--drunk. Her one year old child sat next to her, awake and playing. The police took her to the anti-trafficking group that had formerly helped her. They brought her to us.
The past two years have been full of ups and downs with her. When she came we were not sure she could ever care for her child. In fact, the agency that referred her wanted her beautiful daughter to go to the orphanage, believing Amy could never care for her child. We took her only if the mother and child would come together. Yesterday, as we came in the morning, she played and giggled with her daughter. Her little one wants hugs and love from others, but always goes back to her mama who cares for her wonderfully now.
No, Amy isn't the same woman who slept in the street two years ago. She isn't the woman who came to us filled with fear. She isn't the woman who talked to herself. She isn't the woman who beat her small child. She isn't the woman who never smiled.
That is God's power at work. That is the change that He makes in a life. That is why we do what we do at Freedom Home. That is why we pray.
So today I want to report what a great success the "homes for Christmas" idea turned out to be. The girls all came back to the home beaming, full of excitement. They loved the families with which they stayed and wanted to know if they could go back for Easter.
I'm not sure what happened in Amy's life in those weeks away, but she realized she is changed. Twice, since coming back from the Christmas break, she has come up to staff and said, "Do I look different? I feel different. I AM different!" She continued the thought saying how she recals the woman she was two years ago, but cannot believe how different that woman is from the woman she is today.
Amy arrived to us by referral after she was found sleeping on the street--drunk. Her one year old child sat next to her, awake and playing. The police took her to the anti-trafficking group that had formerly helped her. They brought her to us.
The past two years have been full of ups and downs with her. When she came we were not sure she could ever care for her child. In fact, the agency that referred her wanted her beautiful daughter to go to the orphanage, believing Amy could never care for her child. We took her only if the mother and child would come together. Yesterday, as we came in the morning, she played and giggled with her daughter. Her little one wants hugs and love from others, but always goes back to her mama who cares for her wonderfully now.
No, Amy isn't the same woman who slept in the street two years ago. She isn't the woman who came to us filled with fear. She isn't the woman who talked to herself. She isn't the woman who beat her small child. She isn't the woman who never smiled.
That is God's power at work. That is the change that He makes in a life. That is why we do what we do at Freedom Home. That is why we pray.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Home for Christmas
"I'll be home for Christmas..." Perhaps you've already heard Bing croon these words this holiday season, or you've heard one of the other dozen versions of the famous song. When we hear it we get excited about the trip home or our children joining us in our home or we long to actually be home with those we love.
For most of our girls at Freedom Home, there is no where to go at Christmas. Being home just means more of the same--longing for parents they never knew or parents who never cared. For others going home means rejection from everyone they know because they wear the "scarlet 'A'". For those who remember holidays at home, the memories are sad and stressful. Family drank too much and fought too much.
This year we have an idea to make Christmas a wonderful time for the women at Freedom Home. We want them to be in homes for Christmas. In Moldova the big holidays are December 31 and January 7. Our hope this year is that each of the women at Freedom Home can celebrate with a Moldovan Christan family.
This will provide the women with the opportunity to see the Christian celebration firsthand, experience a family and allow them to socialize outside of this little world. They will be able to attend church celebrations and celebrate with families. It will also allow the staff at the home a well needed break away from the home.
As I write this, I'm sitting in the office at Freedom Home. I hear them singing Christmas carols in the kitchen. The tree is up in the living room. Everyone is excited for the season.
Please pray with us that this week we can find favorable families for all the women.
Pray that the women will be willing to go to these homes over Christmas.
Pray that they will enjoy the celebration like never before and understand Christ's sacrifice for them.
Pray for divine connections for these women, not just for now, but for their futures.
Pray that the staff will be renewed and refreshed and ready for another year of service.
For most of our girls at Freedom Home, there is no where to go at Christmas. Being home just means more of the same--longing for parents they never knew or parents who never cared. For others going home means rejection from everyone they know because they wear the "scarlet 'A'". For those who remember holidays at home, the memories are sad and stressful. Family drank too much and fought too much.
This year we have an idea to make Christmas a wonderful time for the women at Freedom Home. We want them to be in homes for Christmas. In Moldova the big holidays are December 31 and January 7. Our hope this year is that each of the women at Freedom Home can celebrate with a Moldovan Christan family.
This will provide the women with the opportunity to see the Christian celebration firsthand, experience a family and allow them to socialize outside of this little world. They will be able to attend church celebrations and celebrate with families. It will also allow the staff at the home a well needed break away from the home.
As I write this, I'm sitting in the office at Freedom Home. I hear them singing Christmas carols in the kitchen. The tree is up in the living room. Everyone is excited for the season.
Please pray with us that this week we can find favorable families for all the women.
Pray that the women will be willing to go to these homes over Christmas.
Pray that they will enjoy the celebration like never before and understand Christ's sacrifice for them.
Pray for divine connections for these women, not just for now, but for their futures.
Pray that the staff will be renewed and refreshed and ready for another year of service.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Parents
Today we drove to Essie's parents' home in a village a few hours from our home. Essie is the only girl in the home not just with parents, but Christian parents. From the time she came into the home, we knew we needed to talk to her parents.
But her father worked abroad, and only recently returned to Moldova. Last week they called, thinking that maybe Essie should just return home. They did not feel she needed to stay longer at Freedom Home. Elena, the director of Freedom Home accompanied Andy & me. Together we shared our story of Essie.
We told them how wonderful their daughter is. We talked about the reality of trafficking. We talked about the reality of Essie's experience. We talked about God never leaving her. We talked about grace and forgiveness. We heard their stories of pain. We talked about hope for Essie's life and future. We listened as parents cried and wondered at what happened. We explained captivity, deception, and betrayal. We saw the anger they tried to mask. We cried with them and let them know these things anger us too.
Today we offered hope to hurting parents. They understand we love their daughter and don't judge her. They understand we don't judge them either.
You see, they also feel judged. They feel maybe they did something wrong, maybe God is punishing them.
Most of the girls that come to our home do not have parents. There is no one who cares what happened. But there are times that girls like Essie get trapped into this horrid evil of trafficking and then, we not only have an opportunity to bring healing and hope to Essie, but also to her parents.
Will you pray for her parents today and this next week? They too are hurting. They too feel judged. They too feel guilt. They are angry.
They are walking through the stages of grief, and they need a safe place to talk, to deal with the pain. Pray as we build this relationship over the next months. Pray that we can offer them a ray of hope and help them find comfort in the God of all comfort. Pray that they, too, can see God's hand in their lives at this very hard time.
After we talked about all the difficult things, they served us a wonderful lunch. They said that when they realized what had happened to Essie, their only prayer was that she return to them alive. They know God answered that prayer. We agreed in prayer for Essie's healing and future.
Today we went to this village to meet with strangers. We left as brothers and sisters in Christ and friends. Together we hold on to hope that God will redeem this tragedy in Essie's life.
But her father worked abroad, and only recently returned to Moldova. Last week they called, thinking that maybe Essie should just return home. They did not feel she needed to stay longer at Freedom Home. Elena, the director of Freedom Home accompanied Andy & me. Together we shared our story of Essie.
We told them how wonderful their daughter is. We talked about the reality of trafficking. We talked about the reality of Essie's experience. We talked about God never leaving her. We talked about grace and forgiveness. We heard their stories of pain. We talked about hope for Essie's life and future. We listened as parents cried and wondered at what happened. We explained captivity, deception, and betrayal. We saw the anger they tried to mask. We cried with them and let them know these things anger us too.
Today we offered hope to hurting parents. They understand we love their daughter and don't judge her. They understand we don't judge them either.
You see, they also feel judged. They feel maybe they did something wrong, maybe God is punishing them.
Most of the girls that come to our home do not have parents. There is no one who cares what happened. But there are times that girls like Essie get trapped into this horrid evil of trafficking and then, we not only have an opportunity to bring healing and hope to Essie, but also to her parents.
Will you pray for her parents today and this next week? They too are hurting. They too feel judged. They too feel guilt. They are angry.
They are walking through the stages of grief, and they need a safe place to talk, to deal with the pain. Pray as we build this relationship over the next months. Pray that we can offer them a ray of hope and help them find comfort in the God of all comfort. Pray that they, too, can see God's hand in their lives at this very hard time.
After we talked about all the difficult things, they served us a wonderful lunch. They said that when they realized what had happened to Essie, their only prayer was that she return to them alive. They know God answered that prayer. We agreed in prayer for Essie's healing and future.
Today we went to this village to meet with strangers. We left as brothers and sisters in Christ and friends. Together we hold on to hope that God will redeem this tragedy in Essie's life.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Truth
For a bit more than a week I have been in the states with Andy. He's spoken at a few churches and we've had dinners with people--sharing about our work in Moldova and the work at Freedom Home. We are now sitting at the Detroit Airport and will be boarding a flight back to Europe shortly. Can't wait to get home.
We realize what a spiritual battle the work at Freedom Home remains. Trafficking is such a great evil and Satan doesn't want restoration of any women. If he's taken them down, he wants them to stay down.
But God is lifting up so many.
We see Masha excited about schooling and the opportunity of a real job in the future. She works hard in the home and loves on her daughter. She wants more of Jesus each day.
Essie is seeing that she has a future. She doesn't see that her life is undone and without hope for the future. She realizes that she has amazing abilities to give to others.
Nellie is following Essie's example and told me recently that she is doing as well as she is because Essie constantly challenges her to live right. Essie lets Nellie know that she can live her life for Christ.
Yet, in the midst of the rejoicing, Satan is working overtime to destroy. Ali has left the home and in the process, made accusations and tried to ruin many reputations. She has left a huge path of destruction in her wake. It seems that she couldn't just go out peacefully. It seems she constantly needs to destroy.
Please pray for Freedom Home this week.
Pray for the staff.
The Bible says, "Be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God is with you." Pray for their strength and courage.
The Bible says, "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love and a sound mind." Pray for power, love and a sound mind for each of them.
The Bible says, "Stand firm." This is meant as we are putting on the armor of God. Pray that each staff member can stand firm with the armor of God in place.
Pray for the residents.
The Bible says, "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus." Pray for their growth. Pray that they understand who Jesus is in their lives.
The Bible says, "Fear not for I am with you." Pray that they understand Jesus is with them each day.
Pray for the work at Freedom Home. This is God's work.
The Bible says, "No weapon formed against you will prosper." There are weapons being wielded against the work this week are destructive and discouraging. Pray that these weapons will die this week.
The Bible says, "The truth will set you free." Pray for the clear truth to be revealed this week. There were so many lies said this past weekend. God is the God of truth, and we ask that He brings the truth to light.
Thanks for your prayer for this ministry. We cannot do it without your prayers.
We realize what a spiritual battle the work at Freedom Home remains. Trafficking is such a great evil and Satan doesn't want restoration of any women. If he's taken them down, he wants them to stay down.
But God is lifting up so many.
We see Masha excited about schooling and the opportunity of a real job in the future. She works hard in the home and loves on her daughter. She wants more of Jesus each day.
Essie is seeing that she has a future. She doesn't see that her life is undone and without hope for the future. She realizes that she has amazing abilities to give to others.
Nellie is following Essie's example and told me recently that she is doing as well as she is because Essie constantly challenges her to live right. Essie lets Nellie know that she can live her life for Christ.
Yet, in the midst of the rejoicing, Satan is working overtime to destroy. Ali has left the home and in the process, made accusations and tried to ruin many reputations. She has left a huge path of destruction in her wake. It seems that she couldn't just go out peacefully. It seems she constantly needs to destroy.
Please pray for Freedom Home this week.
Pray for the staff.
The Bible says, "Be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God is with you." Pray for their strength and courage.
The Bible says, "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love and a sound mind." Pray for power, love and a sound mind for each of them.
The Bible says, "Stand firm." This is meant as we are putting on the armor of God. Pray that each staff member can stand firm with the armor of God in place.
Pray for the residents.
The Bible says, "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus." Pray for their growth. Pray that they understand who Jesus is in their lives.
The Bible says, "Fear not for I am with you." Pray that they understand Jesus is with them each day.
Pray for the work at Freedom Home. This is God's work.
The Bible says, "No weapon formed against you will prosper." There are weapons being wielded against the work this week are destructive and discouraging. Pray that these weapons will die this week.
The Bible says, "The truth will set you free." Pray for the clear truth to be revealed this week. There were so many lies said this past weekend. God is the God of truth, and we ask that He brings the truth to light.
Thanks for your prayer for this ministry. We cannot do it without your prayers.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
My Heros
Our work at Freedom Home wouldn't happen if it were not for the amazing staff who run the home. From the director and social worker to the ladies who rotate staying nights, we have an amazing staff.
A few weeks ago I left the home remembering the time it was my job to make sure who stayed over the weekend. I always needed to make sure someone would be there during the day if a staff member needed to go somewhere. And now I don't even think about it. They take care of it all.
But what I do think about is the mental health and well being of the staff. I think about how they are growing. I think about how they are being challenged. I think about how they bear up under some really challenging working conditions.
The conditions are challenging because traumatized women are not always nice to work with. That puts it mildly.
Some days there is a lot of screaming.
They've all been threatened in one way or another.
They've all be accused of crazy things.
They've all been told their Christianity isn't real.
But it is. They are the hands of Christ in this work. They are the ones who carry the bulk of the load and work endlessly because they believe that Christ can bring healing and wholeness in the lives of these women.
Please pray for our staff today. They are 8 amazing women who give of themselves because they love to see the change Christ can bring in a life. When the change doesn't come they can also get discouraged. They live needing to fight compassion fatigue and burnout.
Please pray for their strength.
They are Elena D, Oxana, Elena G, Ana, Tanya, Victoria, Nadia and Olga.
These women are my heros.
Please remember these wonderful women in prayer as you remember the work at Freedom Home.
And please pray as we still need a full-time cook and counselor.
A few weeks ago I left the home remembering the time it was my job to make sure who stayed over the weekend. I always needed to make sure someone would be there during the day if a staff member needed to go somewhere. And now I don't even think about it. They take care of it all.
But what I do think about is the mental health and well being of the staff. I think about how they are growing. I think about how they are being challenged. I think about how they bear up under some really challenging working conditions.
The conditions are challenging because traumatized women are not always nice to work with. That puts it mildly.
Some days there is a lot of screaming.
They've all been threatened in one way or another.
They've all be accused of crazy things.
They've all been told their Christianity isn't real.
But it is. They are the hands of Christ in this work. They are the ones who carry the bulk of the load and work endlessly because they believe that Christ can bring healing and wholeness in the lives of these women.
Please pray for our staff today. They are 8 amazing women who give of themselves because they love to see the change Christ can bring in a life. When the change doesn't come they can also get discouraged. They live needing to fight compassion fatigue and burnout.
Please pray for their strength.
They are Elena D, Oxana, Elena G, Ana, Tanya, Victoria, Nadia and Olga.
These women are my heros.
Please remember these wonderful women in prayer as you remember the work at Freedom Home.
And please pray as we still need a full-time cook and counselor.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Bumped and Bruised
Most often I blog to present the needs at Freedom Home. Through the stories of our girls in the home, I ask you to pray.
Today I will tell my story.
I don't often ask for prayer for myself. I know many pray for me anyway. I'm so grateful for those prayers.
Yesterday morning I had a meeting in the center of the city with a young Moldovan friend. I left that meeting to go to another. Usually I have a car to drive, but yesterday I did not. I went into the city with public transportation. There are buses, which I never take because they don't come out to where we live, and there are large vans which are easy to catch anywhere in the city. The vans allow about 12 people to sit and the rest stand, holding on to rails.
My trip into the city proved uneventful. The calm driver didn't honk at anyone. He didn't speed around anyone. And I arrived late at my appointment. That is how it goes in Moldova.
Leaving that restaurant, I caught another mini-bus to head to a lunch meeting. Two blocks later I thought, "this is the angriest driver I have ever seen." He honked continuously, stopped and yelled at a driver in a car, and yelled at every person who got into the van for one thing or another.
And then as we raced to a major intersection, I stood holding on about half-way back and watched a man step into the street and in front of the van. THUD. The impact was hard and fast. I could see the man knew he was going to be hit, but that is the last I saw because the impact threw me. Somehow, I know by God's grace, I spun around, landing on my backside and another person landed on top of me. I thought I would go through the windshield. Instead I sat nicely in front of the dashboard. My first thought when the person got off of me was, "Wow, nothing hurts. I wasn't hurt. Wow. I'm not hurt." I saw the door handle on my left, opened to door, and I got out to walk away.
I won't describe the stupidity of what the driver was doing to try to revive the man lying on the street. As I collected myself, I knew that the man lay dying and there was nothing anyone could do.
I walked the mile to my next appointment.
When I arrived at lunch I felt soreness on the left side of my face. When lunch was over, I felt soreness on the right side of my body.
The rest of the day I felt a mixture of emotions and wanted to cry for what I'd gone through, for the senseless loss of that man's life, for all the people in Moldova that have never had the chance to hear that Jesus is the hope for their life. The emotions were tumbling about within me.
I do write this today partly to process all that happened.
I do not write this to ask for your sympathy.
Daily we deal with dangerous situations like this. We usually don't even know how God has protected our lives. Yesterday I knew that God's hand was upon me.
Each day my daughters take this form of public transportation to go school
Our team, our Freedom Home staff, everyone we know take public transportation.
And it isn't always safe.
So as you pray for Moldova, and the work we are doing, please pray for our safety, for the safety our daughters, our team, our staff.
Pray for the young man's family who lost his life yesterday.
Pray for driver who I'm sure today is in jail for manslaughter.
Pray for a healing in my body and emotions from this experience.
I'm sore today. I don't know why I experienced this, but I know that God was with me. He keeps me each day.
Blessings to you.
Today I will tell my story.
I don't often ask for prayer for myself. I know many pray for me anyway. I'm so grateful for those prayers.
Yesterday morning I had a meeting in the center of the city with a young Moldovan friend. I left that meeting to go to another. Usually I have a car to drive, but yesterday I did not. I went into the city with public transportation. There are buses, which I never take because they don't come out to where we live, and there are large vans which are easy to catch anywhere in the city. The vans allow about 12 people to sit and the rest stand, holding on to rails.
My trip into the city proved uneventful. The calm driver didn't honk at anyone. He didn't speed around anyone. And I arrived late at my appointment. That is how it goes in Moldova.
Leaving that restaurant, I caught another mini-bus to head to a lunch meeting. Two blocks later I thought, "this is the angriest driver I have ever seen." He honked continuously, stopped and yelled at a driver in a car, and yelled at every person who got into the van for one thing or another.
And then as we raced to a major intersection, I stood holding on about half-way back and watched a man step into the street and in front of the van. THUD. The impact was hard and fast. I could see the man knew he was going to be hit, but that is the last I saw because the impact threw me. Somehow, I know by God's grace, I spun around, landing on my backside and another person landed on top of me. I thought I would go through the windshield. Instead I sat nicely in front of the dashboard. My first thought when the person got off of me was, "Wow, nothing hurts. I wasn't hurt. Wow. I'm not hurt." I saw the door handle on my left, opened to door, and I got out to walk away.
I won't describe the stupidity of what the driver was doing to try to revive the man lying on the street. As I collected myself, I knew that the man lay dying and there was nothing anyone could do.
I walked the mile to my next appointment.
When I arrived at lunch I felt soreness on the left side of my face. When lunch was over, I felt soreness on the right side of my body.
The rest of the day I felt a mixture of emotions and wanted to cry for what I'd gone through, for the senseless loss of that man's life, for all the people in Moldova that have never had the chance to hear that Jesus is the hope for their life. The emotions were tumbling about within me.
I do write this today partly to process all that happened.
I do not write this to ask for your sympathy.
Daily we deal with dangerous situations like this. We usually don't even know how God has protected our lives. Yesterday I knew that God's hand was upon me.
Each day my daughters take this form of public transportation to go school
Our team, our Freedom Home staff, everyone we know take public transportation.
And it isn't always safe.
So as you pray for Moldova, and the work we are doing, please pray for our safety, for the safety our daughters, our team, our staff.
Pray for the young man's family who lost his life yesterday.
Pray for driver who I'm sure today is in jail for manslaughter.
Pray for a healing in my body and emotions from this experience.
I'm sore today. I don't know why I experienced this, but I know that God was with me. He keeps me each day.
Blessings to you.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Time to Party!
Tuesday morning when I arrived at Freedom Home I received the news that Mary's* trafficker had been convicted and sentenced to thirteen years in prison. We laughed, we hugged, we cried, we rejoiced that he faced justice.
Mary came to us about two months ago under police protection. Everything about her screamed "FEAR!!" She couldn't go anywhere by public transportation in case someone would see and recognize her. She was in hiding in our home.
I observed that not only did her physical body hide in the home, but so did her emotional self. She remained quiet and withdrawn. We loved her. She lived among us, not as part of us. Eventually she began to open a bit.
There were days when her nerves displayed twisting hands, pacing feet, and sad face.
There were days a smile came for a moment.
Most days were filled with quiet withdrawal.
Tuesday she finally smiled a real smile.
The truth came out that she had been very brave in giving vital testimony to convict the trafficker. Now she doesn't need to fear him if she goes out in the street.
Clearly it was time to celebrate.
I came home and with the help of my daughters, and friend, Darcy, together we made a giant pan of apple/pear crisp. Perfect for a fall celebration. After dinner our family drove to the home and surprised everyone declaring that we were there to celebrate Mary's good news that day.
I cannot count the times Mary came to me and said, "This is for me? This is to celebrate me? This surprise is for me? Thank you, Thank you, Thank you."
Yesterday I conversed with one of our workers who said that Monday and Tuesday she'd spent a lot of time talking with Mary. Mary told her she celebrated everything in her life. She loved to celebrate. And celebration always meant a hangover the next day. She wanted to go out and celebrate this new news with a beer or two.
I had no idea of this conversation when we decided to take the party to the home. That is the little things the Holy Spirit speaks to us, instructing us how to act, and it is the little ways we show others that life can be different. Mary was thrilled with being able to celebrate and for the first time celebrated something good in her life without getting drunk.
To me that is another victory in her life and another reason I celebrate with you today.
Today as we celebrate with Mary will you pray that she will be delivered from all the fear in her life and that God will continue to heal hear pain?
Thanks for believing with us.
Thanks for celebrating with us.
Mary came to us about two months ago under police protection. Everything about her screamed "FEAR!!" She couldn't go anywhere by public transportation in case someone would see and recognize her. She was in hiding in our home.
I observed that not only did her physical body hide in the home, but so did her emotional self. She remained quiet and withdrawn. We loved her. She lived among us, not as part of us. Eventually she began to open a bit.
There were days when her nerves displayed twisting hands, pacing feet, and sad face.
There were days a smile came for a moment.
Most days were filled with quiet withdrawal.
Tuesday she finally smiled a real smile.
The truth came out that she had been very brave in giving vital testimony to convict the trafficker. Now she doesn't need to fear him if she goes out in the street.
Clearly it was time to celebrate.
I came home and with the help of my daughters, and friend, Darcy, together we made a giant pan of apple/pear crisp. Perfect for a fall celebration. After dinner our family drove to the home and surprised everyone declaring that we were there to celebrate Mary's good news that day.
I cannot count the times Mary came to me and said, "This is for me? This is to celebrate me? This surprise is for me? Thank you, Thank you, Thank you."
Yesterday I conversed with one of our workers who said that Monday and Tuesday she'd spent a lot of time talking with Mary. Mary told her she celebrated everything in her life. She loved to celebrate. And celebration always meant a hangover the next day. She wanted to go out and celebrate this new news with a beer or two.
I had no idea of this conversation when we decided to take the party to the home. That is the little things the Holy Spirit speaks to us, instructing us how to act, and it is the little ways we show others that life can be different. Mary was thrilled with being able to celebrate and for the first time celebrated something good in her life without getting drunk.
To me that is another victory in her life and another reason I celebrate with you today.
Today as we celebrate with Mary will you pray that she will be delivered from all the fear in her life and that God will continue to heal hear pain?
Thanks for believing with us.
Thanks for celebrating with us.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Preservation
This morning the text of the message came from Psalm 121. I take a Romanian/English parallel Bible to church with me and after reading the Romanian with the congregation, I read the Scripture in English.
I read words so very familiar, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills..." Beautiful words. On I read to verse seven.
I paused.
I stopped.
I read again.
I thought.
The message from the front didn't penetrate my mind. They were good words, but I couldn't hear. I could only hear verse seven.
"The Lord shall preserve you from all evil. He shall preserve your soul."
And I thought of the sweet, beautiful girl sitting next to me, Essie. How did God preserve her life? She believed in Him as a small child. She walked with Him. Her life remained pure before Him. And then a trusted friend kidnapped her and sold her abroad. Forced to use drugs and prostitute herself, she was robbed of every dream she had in life.
When she escaped, the TV news broadcast her story and everyone in her village and church knew where she had been and what she had done. They all became her judge. No longer Essie, she became the woman wearing the scarlet "A".
Her hopes and dreams were gone.
So as I read this, I pondered her story. God in His still, small voice spoke to me. He did preserve her from the evil. He preserved her soul.
I'm not a scholar of Greek, and I won't debate Bible translations. But these words, as they were translated, screamed at me this morning.
"God shall preserve you from all evil. He shall preserve your soul." There remained a promise for her in these verses. They did not mock her pain. They gave hope to her pain.
I moved closer to Essie and shared with her the words God was speaking to me.
I had no answer for why this happened in her life. I would not say that God allowed this as the plan for her life.
BUT I can know that God preserved her.
Right now everyone in Moldova is busy preserving. We preserve vegetables and fruit, which are in abundance now, to eat in the winter. If we simply set them on a storage shelf, they'd be rotten in a week, but preserved, their goodness will last until next summer when new vegetables grow again.
The Lord spoke the same for Essie. Although forced into a very dark place, seeming so far from God, He preserved her life from the evil. He preserved her soul. I do not understand why this happened to her, but I do know that God was there, walking with her, preserving who she is. She is not rotten or bitter. Of course, she is filled with sadness and hopelessness, but she is still so incredibly sweet.
When she came into the home, I immediately saw the difference in her. Every other girl comes in hard and cold. She came in soft and warm. She appeared hurt and sad, but the light of who she is still shone through. She had a sweetness I had not seen in new resident.
God preserved her soul.
I like this translation because some translations say that God will keep us from evil. Or it seems that they God is a celestial guard who stops everything bad in our lives. When we believe this, we must question why He didn't keep Essie. Did He fail?
No, the world is full of evil, and she is a victim of sex-trafficking. BUT God preserved her. Her soul is still His. I see hope in these words. She never turned from Him, and He never turned from her.
Please pray for Essie this week.
She is not sure that God still wants her.
She is not sure she is worthy of Him.
She carries heavy guilt for a crime she did not commit.
Pray that she can believe that He never left her side.
Pray that she will know that He will give her a crown beauty for the ashes in her life.
Pray that she will understand that she is still an oak of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.
Pray that she will understand that God has preserved her and that He will heal her pain and make her new once again.
I read words so very familiar, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills..." Beautiful words. On I read to verse seven.
I paused.
I stopped.
I read again.
I thought.
The message from the front didn't penetrate my mind. They were good words, but I couldn't hear. I could only hear verse seven.
"The Lord shall preserve you from all evil. He shall preserve your soul."
And I thought of the sweet, beautiful girl sitting next to me, Essie. How did God preserve her life? She believed in Him as a small child. She walked with Him. Her life remained pure before Him. And then a trusted friend kidnapped her and sold her abroad. Forced to use drugs and prostitute herself, she was robbed of every dream she had in life.
When she escaped, the TV news broadcast her story and everyone in her village and church knew where she had been and what she had done. They all became her judge. No longer Essie, she became the woman wearing the scarlet "A".
Her hopes and dreams were gone.
So as I read this, I pondered her story. God in His still, small voice spoke to me. He did preserve her from the evil. He preserved her soul.
I'm not a scholar of Greek, and I won't debate Bible translations. But these words, as they were translated, screamed at me this morning.
"God shall preserve you from all evil. He shall preserve your soul." There remained a promise for her in these verses. They did not mock her pain. They gave hope to her pain.
I moved closer to Essie and shared with her the words God was speaking to me.
I had no answer for why this happened in her life. I would not say that God allowed this as the plan for her life.
BUT I can know that God preserved her.
Right now everyone in Moldova is busy preserving. We preserve vegetables and fruit, which are in abundance now, to eat in the winter. If we simply set them on a storage shelf, they'd be rotten in a week, but preserved, their goodness will last until next summer when new vegetables grow again.
The Lord spoke the same for Essie. Although forced into a very dark place, seeming so far from God, He preserved her life from the evil. He preserved her soul. I do not understand why this happened to her, but I do know that God was there, walking with her, preserving who she is. She is not rotten or bitter. Of course, she is filled with sadness and hopelessness, but she is still so incredibly sweet.
When she came into the home, I immediately saw the difference in her. Every other girl comes in hard and cold. She came in soft and warm. She appeared hurt and sad, but the light of who she is still shone through. She had a sweetness I had not seen in new resident.
God preserved her soul.
I like this translation because some translations say that God will keep us from evil. Or it seems that they God is a celestial guard who stops everything bad in our lives. When we believe this, we must question why He didn't keep Essie. Did He fail?
No, the world is full of evil, and she is a victim of sex-trafficking. BUT God preserved her. Her soul is still His. I see hope in these words. She never turned from Him, and He never turned from her.
Please pray for Essie this week.
She is not sure that God still wants her.
She is not sure she is worthy of Him.
She carries heavy guilt for a crime she did not commit.
Pray that she can believe that He never left her side.
Pray that she will know that He will give her a crown beauty for the ashes in her life.
Pray that she will understand that she is still an oak of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.
Pray that she will understand that God has preserved her and that He will heal her pain and make her new once again.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Broken Hearts
I have three daughters biologically. I have several more by virtue of Freedom Home.
Ali* began first to call me mama. The other girls at the home joined her. Most have not had a mama in a long time. Most haven't known a good mama. Ali's mama died when she was around ten years old.
Ali has had a very hard journey. We see times of great victory and times of such defeat. The past few weeks she has worked to make life horrible for every person in the home--residents and staff. She made it known to a few people that she wanted to be so bad that Andy and I would kick her out of the home.
So today we sat to talk. Again. It went no where.
I told her I would not kick her out, but that she had a choice to make. She would either began to work on things like schooling, parenting, and living or she would make the choice herself to move out. Not doing what she needs to do is making the choice.
After the conversation with her and a bit of time hugging on all the rest of the girls in the home, I came home. Tonight I'm weighted with a burden to pray for her. I talked with our director, who did have another conversation with Ali after I left, and it went well.
But I'm still burdened for her.
She can't trust.
She is bound by fear.
She needs God to deliver her from her past.
She needs to totally break free from a negative relationship.
I have friends who have children who are adults and have walked away from God. The pain in the lives of my friends is intense. They pray. They weep. They ask God to bring their child back.
Tonight I'm weeping for the one who called me Mama, my "daughter". I love her intensely. I love her because Christ loves her.
I love her because she is worthy of love, no matter her actions.
I love her because she is a child of God, made in His image.
He longs for relationship with her.
He longs to heal her hurt.
He longs to help her trust.
Will you pray for her tonight and this weekend? Will you pray that God will help her start anew and that we will see radical change in her life and being?
There is a song with a line that says, "Break my heart for what breaks Yours." Easy to sing these words. Hard to live them.
Tonight my heart is broken for Ali.
Ali* began first to call me mama. The other girls at the home joined her. Most have not had a mama in a long time. Most haven't known a good mama. Ali's mama died when she was around ten years old.
Ali has had a very hard journey. We see times of great victory and times of such defeat. The past few weeks she has worked to make life horrible for every person in the home--residents and staff. She made it known to a few people that she wanted to be so bad that Andy and I would kick her out of the home.
So today we sat to talk. Again. It went no where.
I told her I would not kick her out, but that she had a choice to make. She would either began to work on things like schooling, parenting, and living or she would make the choice herself to move out. Not doing what she needs to do is making the choice.
After the conversation with her and a bit of time hugging on all the rest of the girls in the home, I came home. Tonight I'm weighted with a burden to pray for her. I talked with our director, who did have another conversation with Ali after I left, and it went well.
But I'm still burdened for her.
She can't trust.
She is bound by fear.
She needs God to deliver her from her past.
She needs to totally break free from a negative relationship.
I have friends who have children who are adults and have walked away from God. The pain in the lives of my friends is intense. They pray. They weep. They ask God to bring their child back.
Tonight I'm weeping for the one who called me Mama, my "daughter". I love her intensely. I love her because Christ loves her.
I love her because she is worthy of love, no matter her actions.
I love her because she is a child of God, made in His image.
He longs for relationship with her.
He longs to heal her hurt.
He longs to help her trust.
Will you pray for her tonight and this weekend? Will you pray that God will help her start anew and that we will see radical change in her life and being?
There is a song with a line that says, "Break my heart for what breaks Yours." Easy to sing these words. Hard to live them.
Tonight my heart is broken for Ali.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sweet Dreams
Today I had the privilege of sitting with a newer resident in the home, Mary, and hearing her story. Her story came out in the midst of her pain. Last Thursday she surrendered her life to Christ and then the nightmares began each night.
She shared how these nightmares are really not new, but have come each time she's wanted to change her life for the better.
When I talked to her about the evils of trafficking, she stopped me saying, "Trafficking isn't the only evil that has happened in my life. In fact, it may not even be the worst. My whole life has been ruled by evil people." Wow! This is a life I cannot even imagine.
She thought that maybe if she could just be better, she could change things in her life. So I began to talk to her about people in the Bible who came to Christ in their sinful states, and Christ took them just as they came to him.
What shocked me was that she knew everyone of these stories. Years ago, when she was in an orphanage, she had been given a Bible. She knew the Bible incredibly well.
And I realized that although her life has been filled with so many bad things, God has been right there with her. Theologically, I don't really understand this. I don't understand how someone can be mistreated for so much of their lives, how they can be raped, how they can be trafficked. I don't understand how the evil in this world can take them there, but I know we serve a God who is so amazing, and he cares for them in each of these places.
I understood that God has been holding Mary for so many years and that now she has the chance to hear of him and to understand his love for her, walked out in the lives of the staff at the Home.
Please pray for Mary. Pray that she will have sweet dreams. Pray that Christ will set her free from all the bondage of the past. She wants so much to be free. We prayed for her to be free. Please join me in praying for her tonight and all this week. Pray that God would give her sweet, sweet rest, without any nightmares.
Thanks for believing with me for her sweet dreams.
She shared how these nightmares are really not new, but have come each time she's wanted to change her life for the better.
When I talked to her about the evils of trafficking, she stopped me saying, "Trafficking isn't the only evil that has happened in my life. In fact, it may not even be the worst. My whole life has been ruled by evil people." Wow! This is a life I cannot even imagine.
She thought that maybe if she could just be better, she could change things in her life. So I began to talk to her about people in the Bible who came to Christ in their sinful states, and Christ took them just as they came to him.
What shocked me was that she knew everyone of these stories. Years ago, when she was in an orphanage, she had been given a Bible. She knew the Bible incredibly well.
And I realized that although her life has been filled with so many bad things, God has been right there with her. Theologically, I don't really understand this. I don't understand how someone can be mistreated for so much of their lives, how they can be raped, how they can be trafficked. I don't understand how the evil in this world can take them there, but I know we serve a God who is so amazing, and he cares for them in each of these places.
I understood that God has been holding Mary for so many years and that now she has the chance to hear of him and to understand his love for her, walked out in the lives of the staff at the Home.
Please pray for Mary. Pray that she will have sweet dreams. Pray that Christ will set her free from all the bondage of the past. She wants so much to be free. We prayed for her to be free. Please join me in praying for her tonight and all this week. Pray that God would give her sweet, sweet rest, without any nightmares.
Thanks for believing with me for her sweet dreams.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Neighbors
This week the neighbors on both sides of the home have begun complaining about one thing after another. They both have always made complaints and usually they have some validity. We have tried to comply.
The neighbor to the right didn't like our dog, Jack. So we built the fence higher to give him the extra protection from the dog jumping into his yard.
But this week he called the police saying the women in the home were partying and drunk at 2 a.m. They were all sleeping, but how do we prove that since the police didn't come until the next day? Show them the trash that is empty of alcohol bottles?
Our office is on the left side of the home and it is extremely hot in there so this week we installed a small air conditioning unit. The neighbor on that side complained that it made too much noise (these are not the old noisy type of air units!). There is no more noise from this than a fan would give.
Please pray for us for favor with the neighbors. We know we just need to keep loving them and offering them kindness.
On another note--concerning the training that we had at the end of July with Rebecca. The training went very well. Thanks so much for your prayers. One thing we are finding as a staff is that God wants to work as much on our lives as the lives of the women in the home. Many of the staff need to find real healing through Christ to be able to bring the healing to the lives of the residents. So continue to pray that God will take what we've learned and make it go deep into our lives so that we can then offer healing to those in the home.
The neighbor to the right didn't like our dog, Jack. So we built the fence higher to give him the extra protection from the dog jumping into his yard.
But this week he called the police saying the women in the home were partying and drunk at 2 a.m. They were all sleeping, but how do we prove that since the police didn't come until the next day? Show them the trash that is empty of alcohol bottles?
Our office is on the left side of the home and it is extremely hot in there so this week we installed a small air conditioning unit. The neighbor on that side complained that it made too much noise (these are not the old noisy type of air units!). There is no more noise from this than a fan would give.
Please pray for us for favor with the neighbors. We know we just need to keep loving them and offering them kindness.
On another note--concerning the training that we had at the end of July with Rebecca. The training went very well. Thanks so much for your prayers. One thing we are finding as a staff is that God wants to work as much on our lives as the lives of the women in the home. Many of the staff need to find real healing through Christ to be able to bring the healing to the lives of the residents. So continue to pray that God will take what we've learned and make it go deep into our lives so that we can then offer healing to those in the home.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Rescue Arts
It is so important for the women who come into our home to find a place of healing in their lives. There are many avenues to have that happen. It doesn't just happen automatically because they come into the home, but happens because they are led there. We are in the process of helping the staff understand how to lead the women to healing.
Often that healing has to start in the lives of the staff. They have to be released from the things holding them back to be able to bring healing to the lives of others.
My friend Rebecca is here this week and the next two days she will be doing a training with the Freedom Home staff on therapy through the arts. Pray for an anointing on Rebecca as she teaches.
Please pray for that this training will sink deep into the lives of the staff here. Pray that they will find healing from the pain of the past in their lives so that they can help to bring healing into the lives of the women in the home.
There are also a few women who will be there who are trying to figure out if they want to be involved in this ministry at a great level. Please pray that God will call those that need to be called to this ministry.
Often that healing has to start in the lives of the staff. They have to be released from the things holding them back to be able to bring healing to the lives of others.
My friend Rebecca is here this week and the next two days she will be doing a training with the Freedom Home staff on therapy through the arts. Pray for an anointing on Rebecca as she teaches.
Please pray for that this training will sink deep into the lives of the staff here. Pray that they will find healing from the pain of the past in their lives so that they can help to bring healing into the lives of the women in the home.
There are also a few women who will be there who are trying to figure out if they want to be involved in this ministry at a great level. Please pray that God will call those that need to be called to this ministry.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Holding up Your arms
Yesterday I listened to a sermon podcast by Pastor Rod Loy at North Little Rock First (www.firstnlr.com). He talked about the Bible story where Joshua, the young man, is fighting, and Moses, the old man, is praying with his contemporaries holding up his arms. When Moses' arms are up, they are winning the battle. When the arms are down, they are losing the battle.
The idea behind this sermon was not about praying for missionaries, although that would have been awesome! It was about praying for our young people and our children in our churches--an incredible application.
But, as I listened to the story of Joshua and Moses, I thought about those of you who read my blog and pray for the work we are doing.
We are here and we are able to do what we do because of those who come behind us in prayer and finances. Your arms "stay up" in prayer for the women and staff of Freedom Home.
We don't have an major donor committing to $10,000 a month. But we have people who give $50 a month. We have churches wanting to do 5K runs with the entry fees going to our work. We have churches and individuals that commit to a bit at a time.
We don't have a major platform to get the word out. I don't have a department to do the creative websites, brochures, and videos.
But I have a blog, and we have people committed to pray.
Yesterday we celebrated Naomi's* birthday. She turned 23. I'm not sure the last time anyone celebrated her just being alive. She showed no emotion at the party, except one small smile. All her emotion is dead, except the sadness that shows from her eyes each day.
I pray for Naomi that a year from now, we will see joy and peace on her face. That next year, as we celebrate her life, we will see that Christ is transforming her into someone new.
Please pray also for her 11 month old daughter, Lexie. The baby has been malnourished and has rickets. We already see more color in her little cheeks, but we pray for God's complete healing for her small body and bones.
Thanks for coming alongside the staff, the women and myself at Freedom Home with your prayers.
The idea behind this sermon was not about praying for missionaries, although that would have been awesome! It was about praying for our young people and our children in our churches--an incredible application.
But, as I listened to the story of Joshua and Moses, I thought about those of you who read my blog and pray for the work we are doing.
We are here and we are able to do what we do because of those who come behind us in prayer and finances. Your arms "stay up" in prayer for the women and staff of Freedom Home.
We don't have an major donor committing to $10,000 a month. But we have people who give $50 a month. We have churches wanting to do 5K runs with the entry fees going to our work. We have churches and individuals that commit to a bit at a time.
We don't have a major platform to get the word out. I don't have a department to do the creative websites, brochures, and videos.
But I have a blog, and we have people committed to pray.
Yesterday we celebrated Naomi's* birthday. She turned 23. I'm not sure the last time anyone celebrated her just being alive. She showed no emotion at the party, except one small smile. All her emotion is dead, except the sadness that shows from her eyes each day.
I pray for Naomi that a year from now, we will see joy and peace on her face. That next year, as we celebrate her life, we will see that Christ is transforming her into someone new.
Please pray also for her 11 month old daughter, Lexie. The baby has been malnourished and has rickets. We already see more color in her little cheeks, but we pray for God's complete healing for her small body and bones.
Thanks for coming alongside the staff, the women and myself at Freedom Home with your prayers.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Taking the Land Part Two
There is an adage in church work that sometimes you have to lose some to gain more. I believe that has been true at Freedom Home. I'm learning that as we take the land, sometimes we have to let some things go.
I'd like to believe that every woman who comes to us will be changed, but this doesn't happen. Some cannot break the chains holding them in bondage. A few weeks ago one woman had planned and worked for weeks to leave the home. She was getting a "job" with those that formerly trafficked her. She did everything she needed to do. And then they wouldn't take her.
We practiced intervention in her life for four hours a few days after she had been told that she couldn't go work at this restaurant (which fronts the trafficking). All that we said that day fell to deaf ears and late in the afternoon we had to force her to leave the home.
That may be shocking to some reading this, but she was so unstable. Workers have already quit because of the abuse she threw on them daily. She could be totally up and then fall to the lowest depths. The depths brought a meanness of character that hurt all around her. So finally she was told she must either live within the rules of the home or leave.
She left.
Since the day she left we have taken in three women. Two last week. One this week. We are nearly to capacity. One had been in the works for the past two or three months, but one thing after another delayed her entrance to the home.
I really believe the home wasn't safe for these very vulnerable ones who have come these past two weeks. The departure of the one, has made the home safe again and filled with peace.
This is a hard thing.
Please pray for the new women. Pray for the one we took a few days ago who is extremely vulnerable. She needs healing in body, mind and spirit.
One resident who came to us a few months ago, came from a good family. Her perpetrator was caught and put in prison. Her parents thought that it would be safe for her to come home a few weeks ago, and she went. This week the man bought himself out of jail and the safety of her home is crushed. She comes back to us today.
Now more than ever, I ask you to pray for safety for the home, the workers, the residents, the staff and their families. It is a time when God is going to do good things in the lives of these women. We ask God's hand of protection, healing and safety on us in these days.
We know that God has gone before us in every step of the way in establishing this ministry to Victims of Trafficking. Please pray that God continues to guide us as we take the land.
One other prayer request today is that our counselor became our director last September, and we desperately need a Christian counselor. We have two wonderful young Christian women who have been doing part-time volunteer work at the home this summer as counselors. We'd love if one of them would feel God's calling to commit to the work full-time.
I'd like to believe that every woman who comes to us will be changed, but this doesn't happen. Some cannot break the chains holding them in bondage. A few weeks ago one woman had planned and worked for weeks to leave the home. She was getting a "job" with those that formerly trafficked her. She did everything she needed to do. And then they wouldn't take her.
We practiced intervention in her life for four hours a few days after she had been told that she couldn't go work at this restaurant (which fronts the trafficking). All that we said that day fell to deaf ears and late in the afternoon we had to force her to leave the home.
That may be shocking to some reading this, but she was so unstable. Workers have already quit because of the abuse she threw on them daily. She could be totally up and then fall to the lowest depths. The depths brought a meanness of character that hurt all around her. So finally she was told she must either live within the rules of the home or leave.
She left.
Since the day she left we have taken in three women. Two last week. One this week. We are nearly to capacity. One had been in the works for the past two or three months, but one thing after another delayed her entrance to the home.
I really believe the home wasn't safe for these very vulnerable ones who have come these past two weeks. The departure of the one, has made the home safe again and filled with peace.
This is a hard thing.
Please pray for the new women. Pray for the one we took a few days ago who is extremely vulnerable. She needs healing in body, mind and spirit.
One resident who came to us a few months ago, came from a good family. Her perpetrator was caught and put in prison. Her parents thought that it would be safe for her to come home a few weeks ago, and she went. This week the man bought himself out of jail and the safety of her home is crushed. She comes back to us today.
Now more than ever, I ask you to pray for safety for the home, the workers, the residents, the staff and their families. It is a time when God is going to do good things in the lives of these women. We ask God's hand of protection, healing and safety on us in these days.
We know that God has gone before us in every step of the way in establishing this ministry to Victims of Trafficking. Please pray that God continues to guide us as we take the land.
One other prayer request today is that our counselor became our director last September, and we desperately need a Christian counselor. We have two wonderful young Christian women who have been doing part-time volunteer work at the home this summer as counselors. We'd love if one of them would feel God's calling to commit to the work full-time.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Freedom Home
We have given a new name to the Project Rescue home in Moldova.
We are now Freedom Home.
Why the new name? Moldova is a very small country, and there are already several Home of Hopes, Hope Houses and other ministries with names very close. We needed to set ourselves apart.
So we began to pray about it, asking God to give us something that was right for us in this place.
An issue begin to emerge (or had always been there, but was staring us in the face at this point). Women would come to the house and after about a month, they would begin to complain saying that life here was prison because they couldn't go where they wanted, with whomever they wanted, and do whatever they wanted.
They didn't understand true freedom.
We began to talk to them about the truth of Scripture, "So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." (John 8:36) Still the concept remained elusive.
What we want and envision in the lives of the women is so much more than hope. We want them to have hope, but more than this, we want them to have freedom.
Freedom that brings joy.
Freedom that brings peace.
Freedom that brings hope.
Freedom that brings rest.
We want them to understand that true freedom is not physical. It is not where they are and what they can do, but true freedom comes when Christ Jesus sets them free from the pain of the past.
So with the new name we have an opportunity to begin talking about freedom to them as soon as they enter. We can talk to them about freedom in Christ and help them to understand why we have rules in the home. We can talk to them that we exist not just for a home for a time for them, but so that they can find true freedom for life.
Will you pray that the women of Freedom Home will find true freedom in their lives?
We are now Freedom Home.
Why the new name? Moldova is a very small country, and there are already several Home of Hopes, Hope Houses and other ministries with names very close. We needed to set ourselves apart.
So we began to pray about it, asking God to give us something that was right for us in this place.
An issue begin to emerge (or had always been there, but was staring us in the face at this point). Women would come to the house and after about a month, they would begin to complain saying that life here was prison because they couldn't go where they wanted, with whomever they wanted, and do whatever they wanted.
They didn't understand true freedom.
We began to talk to them about the truth of Scripture, "So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." (John 8:36) Still the concept remained elusive.
What we want and envision in the lives of the women is so much more than hope. We want them to have hope, but more than this, we want them to have freedom.
Freedom that brings joy.
Freedom that brings peace.
Freedom that brings hope.
Freedom that brings rest.
We want them to understand that true freedom is not physical. It is not where they are and what they can do, but true freedom comes when Christ Jesus sets them free from the pain of the past.
So with the new name we have an opportunity to begin talking about freedom to them as soon as they enter. We can talk to them about freedom in Christ and help them to understand why we have rules in the home. We can talk to them that we exist not just for a home for a time for them, but so that they can find true freedom for life.
Will you pray that the women of Freedom Home will find true freedom in their lives?
Friday, July 09, 2010
I'm often asked how we find the women who are in our home. We have networked and built relationships with several different organizations that deal with the legal aspects of women who are trafficked. They are the agencies that the government calls when a trafficked woman needs to be repatriated or stand trial against a trafficker. These agencies know the women need further help. They then call us.
This week two different agencies called us. Two different women. Two different backgrounds. Both trafficked to Russia. Both needing healing in their lives. Both need to find a new path to new beginnings.
I've been especially moved in the last day concerning the girl that came into the home on Thursday. She's 21, and she's from a Christian home. The family is large, and she went to Russia looking for work. She went last fall and had legitimate work for three months. This time when she returned, she was forced into prostitution.
We've dealt with a lot of girls who have had baggage from the time they were born. Now we have a girl who was raised in a loving Christian home and her life also took a terrible turn.
Please pray for Naomi. I really don't know her background at this point. I do know that she came to the home with a beautiful 10 month old daughter. Pray that she finds peace, safety and healing.
Pray also for Emily. She comes in knowing who God is, but is most likely questioning God in her life at this point. Pray for God's healing and peace in her life.
This week two different agencies called us. Two different women. Two different backgrounds. Both trafficked to Russia. Both needing healing in their lives. Both need to find a new path to new beginnings.
I've been especially moved in the last day concerning the girl that came into the home on Thursday. She's 21, and she's from a Christian home. The family is large, and she went to Russia looking for work. She went last fall and had legitimate work for three months. This time when she returned, she was forced into prostitution.
We've dealt with a lot of girls who have had baggage from the time they were born. Now we have a girl who was raised in a loving Christian home and her life also took a terrible turn.
Please pray for Naomi. I really don't know her background at this point. I do know that she came to the home with a beautiful 10 month old daughter. Pray that she finds peace, safety and healing.
Pray also for Emily. She comes in knowing who God is, but is most likely questioning God in her life at this point. Pray for God's healing and peace in her life.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Taking the Land
It has been more than a month since I last blogged. About the time of the last post, one of the girls in the home (the one who can read English and use a computer) went to an internet cafe', found our website and felt angry that I posted about the Home. So I decided to just stop posting for a time. This week I felt it time to start again.
This week all the woman and children of the home and a few workers are at a family camp sponsored by the church our Social Worker's church. Pray for God to speak to each of them in a special way this week.
Since I last wrote Leah* decided to give up her baby. A wonderful Christian family has taken the baby, and are moving toward adoption. Please pray for that process. It is not something people want to touch here--something I don't understand. It seems easier to leave a child at an orphanage than to legally adopt a baby. But we know God's hand is in this. I could not be more happy with the home the baby has gone to.
Leah* also decided to leave the home. Please pray that the truth of God would continue to speak into her life.
Our Social Worker did lose her pregnancy. Please pray for her at this time. I know it is a huge loss. She is going on, but she needs God's peace and grace for this time.
This week I am reading from the book of Joshua. The Israelites crossed the Jordan and began to take the land God had promised them. Why didn't God just give it to them? What was the deal with that? Couldn't He just have wiped out the nations before them?
Instead of making it easy, God starts by telling them to circumcise all the males who had not been circumcised in the time they wandered the dessert. Oh the pain and agony that went on those days!
Then they go to take Jericho and have to walk around the city day after day. Finally after seven days they shout and the walls come down and they go in and conquer the city. Then they go to battle Ai and are soundly defeated because one person sinned. The story goes on like this. Every new town, every city, every nation is a fight. Nothing is easy.
The same is true in our lives. I always want God to make things easy for once. I get tired of the struggles, tired of the battles of life. But somehow it is precisely those things that make me become the person that God wants me to be. I have to face the struggles, the battles, and God makes me into the person He can use.
Since the Home of Hope opened, it seems we fight one battle after another. I just want things to get easy. I want it to soar. I want everything in place. I want to see results and have fun. I want to see women who are victoriously delivered and radically changed, but it just doesn't happen that way.
The work continues to be a struggle. Something within me wants to believe that obedience in starting the work and opening the home is "taking the land". But that is only the beginning. In the process of taking this land, I see God making me into the person He wants me to be. I see him working in the lives of the staff, healing their wounds from the past, giving them joy and unconditional love, teaching them about forgiveness. None of it is easy. We have to commit ourselves to pressing on. And in that process of change God also begins to heal the women.
And it is all for His glory.
Thanks for continuing to pray.
This week all the woman and children of the home and a few workers are at a family camp sponsored by the church our Social Worker's church. Pray for God to speak to each of them in a special way this week.
Since I last wrote Leah* decided to give up her baby. A wonderful Christian family has taken the baby, and are moving toward adoption. Please pray for that process. It is not something people want to touch here--something I don't understand. It seems easier to leave a child at an orphanage than to legally adopt a baby. But we know God's hand is in this. I could not be more happy with the home the baby has gone to.
Leah* also decided to leave the home. Please pray that the truth of God would continue to speak into her life.
Our Social Worker did lose her pregnancy. Please pray for her at this time. I know it is a huge loss. She is going on, but she needs God's peace and grace for this time.
This week I am reading from the book of Joshua. The Israelites crossed the Jordan and began to take the land God had promised them. Why didn't God just give it to them? What was the deal with that? Couldn't He just have wiped out the nations before them?
Instead of making it easy, God starts by telling them to circumcise all the males who had not been circumcised in the time they wandered the dessert. Oh the pain and agony that went on those days!
Then they go to take Jericho and have to walk around the city day after day. Finally after seven days they shout and the walls come down and they go in and conquer the city. Then they go to battle Ai and are soundly defeated because one person sinned. The story goes on like this. Every new town, every city, every nation is a fight. Nothing is easy.
The same is true in our lives. I always want God to make things easy for once. I get tired of the struggles, tired of the battles of life. But somehow it is precisely those things that make me become the person that God wants me to be. I have to face the struggles, the battles, and God makes me into the person He can use.
Since the Home of Hope opened, it seems we fight one battle after another. I just want things to get easy. I want it to soar. I want everything in place. I want to see results and have fun. I want to see women who are victoriously delivered and radically changed, but it just doesn't happen that way.
The work continues to be a struggle. Something within me wants to believe that obedience in starting the work and opening the home is "taking the land". But that is only the beginning. In the process of taking this land, I see God making me into the person He wants me to be. I see him working in the lives of the staff, healing their wounds from the past, giving them joy and unconditional love, teaching them about forgiveness. None of it is easy. We have to commit ourselves to pressing on. And in that process of change God also begins to heal the women.
And it is all for His glory.
Thanks for continuing to pray.
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