"Get rid of all bitterness,
rage and anger, brawling and slander,
along with every form of malice.
Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ,
God forgave you."
Ephesians 4:31-32
Welcome to Challenge Farm. A ministry that takes kids off the street, preaches the gospel, and gives them hope for a future. I have been living in a bunk house with 12 other girls for the two weeks. Every minute of every day is filled with beautiful children, each with a different story. Some have murdered, some have witnessed murder. Some have been raped, beaten, sexually abused. Some have been buried alive.
This being said, meet Monica. She's a fifteen year old who lives here at Challenge Farm. She's got big brown eyes, a head of frizzy jet black hair (that is usually pulled back into tight cornrows), and a heart full of love… for everyone. Even for the people who didn't love her when she needed it most.
One day, we were sitting in the girls dorm, and she looked at me and said "The Bible says that we are all to forgive. So that's what I have done." I don't know her whole story, but I do know that her parents have passed away. She told me that she forgave them for the way that she was treated while they were still a family. And that no matter what happened, she would always love them because that's what God said was right.
This fifteen-year-old girl taught me about forgiveness. And I didn't realize, until she pointed it out, that I have not been doing a very good job of forgiving. I have a habit of saying "I forgive you" when, really, it's just a way for me to throw things in the back of my mind where they fester and grow into a bigger and more bitter problem. Monica has helped me to understand that there is so much more to forgiveness than just saying the words.
Not only have we been spending one-on-one time with these kids, but we have also had plenty of time to play with them all. On the futbol field (soccer), on the play ground, and around the farm. The other day, I was sitting on the steps of the play ground, getting my hair braided by three little girls, when Mercy (a special needs child) came and sat on my lap. I had been spending some one-on-one time with her as well. But it was then that God spoke to me:
"These children, do you see how much they love?
They love you with my love. They have my heart.
They will be an example to you. This is how I
want you to love the world.
Go."
I have been at Challenge Farm for almost two weeks. The children don't care where we have come from, or what we have done. But they care so much about how we are doing right now. Where we are right now. They are praying for us daily. They welcome us with their smiles and hugs daily. We are treated like family. God's family. They'll crawl all over us, any time they have the chance, just to be near to us.
Challenge Farm has captured my heart. It took me in right when I stepped foot on the property. I don't ever want to leave- I can honestly and wholeheartedly say, I will be back to Challenge Farm. Not only because I love it, but because of the love that was shown to me.
