(Written March 1st)
This month we are in Santa Tecla, El Salvador working at a children’s home called Mi Casa International. These two houses (one for the boys and one for the girls) provide shelter, food, clothing, education and most importantly a loving environment for these kids to grow up in. Without Mi Casa many of these children wouldn’t stand a chance for survival. They come from situations where gang-related violence, sexual abuse, neglect, and a lack of education threaten their lives daily. No child should ever have to go through what these kids have been through. We have been learning about their stories; where they have come from and it just breaks my heart.
Some have been beaten since they were toddlers and still have the scars to prove it.
Some have been shipped from orphanage to orphanage, enduring various kinds of abuse along the way. Some have been abandoned on the side of the road.
Some were conceived through familial rape.
Some have had to flee from neighborhoods overtaken by gangs.
Some were orphaned through the civil war.
And some choose to be here for fear of where their family will lead them.
Whatever the background, they now have one thing in common: they are no longer orphans. This is home and they are finally where they belong.
Bob McDowell is the founder of Mi Casa International and one day when God gave him a vision, he chose to say, “Yes! Let’s change the world.” Through Bob and many others involved in this life-changing home, God is giving these kids amazing education, an amazing chance to thrive, and such AMAZING LOVE!
I have loved our time here at Mi Casa. These kids are so loving and affectionate. They bring joy and laughter into my life. They are smart and kind and special. They love to sing to Jesus and they love to pray. We eat meals together, we go to the park together, we play games and watch movies together and we share life with each other.
Something I am really excited about here is again, I GET TO PAINT! This month our project has been to paint the whole houses, inside and out. And God has blessed me with the opportunity to paint a mural in the entry way where the offices are. Once it is finished I promise to blog it and share the meaning behind the mural and a picture of it. GET EXCITED!
Through ministries like Mi Casa and Nuevo Generation (where we worked last month) I am learning that God is in the business of CHANGING THE WORLD! And I love being a part of what He is doing. All over, people are crying out to Him and let me tell you something, HE HEARS OUR CRIES and He sends people like Bob, people like me, people like YOU to say, “YES! LET’S CHANGE THE WORLD!”
Redemption is His nature and I am addicted to it.
May you choose TODAY to say: How can I change the world? And then when you receive the answer, say YES! with all your heart.
