Lillian was about three years old
and her mom knew that she was being abused and molested 
when she would send her
to visit her dad in prison. But
fear of her ex-husband killing the family she sent her, just out of selfish
reasons. I guess you can say. The years went by and the same
dreadfulness would
happen. And now
for Lillian she knows no other way to live then the way she was raised.
When I first met Lillian. This is what I saw. A woman who is a child of God, who is
bold, who fought for her family, who despite her past she will overcome. But my heart crumbled to see Lillian
allowing her flesh to be used by men. I hated seeing her boys raising themselves. I hated that she had to
dig through the trash to put food on
the table for her family. I hated
that she was letting the world win and direct her life.
So Lillian, a woman that from a
worldly view got dished a pretty disturbing life. A woman that is raising four different boys which who all
have different fathers. A woman
that is living the only way she knows how. I had to remind myself she doesn’t know better. Then 
one day I saw hope in this
woman. That Sunday I saw her at
church and the Lord spoke to me. She is loved, she is cherished, and she is going to survive. Lillian and her family are going to
bring great change to this community.
Leaving this family broke my heart but brought peace to me
all at the same time. My last
night at this ministry I got this vision for Tony and this family. I told Tony that I see these boys being
a generation that changes Los Pinos (the community they live in) But happens
because of you Tony. How you walk in
boldness, how you walk in humility, how you walk in realness and who you are is
trustworthy. That these boys are
going to walk in this boldness, humility, realness because living life with
you. These boys are imparted with
these things
because you are being real with these boys and walking t
his storm
with them. That because of this
mother’s willingness to overcome and these boys being a generation to change a
community. There is hope!
I just sit here and see the hope
that lies in this story. But not
only that the hope that lies within my own story. That as I continue to walk this path the Lord guides me on
that how I live my life passes on to the lives I am pouring into. What hope lies in your story?
