Abandoned. Unwanted. Neglected. Worthless.
These are words that 9 of my favorite people in the whole world were once described as. These words were part of who they were. This was how their families defined them.
When I let myself picture some of the things they have been through, I am outraged and broken at the same time. I cannot Imagine being one of their mothers and selling them to some man down the street for more money. I cannot Imagine kicking them out of the house to fend for themselves at age 13. I cannot imagine letting them suffer like that, because every bone in my body wants to protect them. To shelter them. To tell them the truth, that they are loved and known by the creator of the universe.
And then I think about God and how he must feel about all of this. Part of me is pissed that he would ever allow any of this to happen in the first place. And the other part of me knows the truth. That as much as I love these boys, God loves them more. And as heart broken as I am because of what they went through, God hurts more. He was there the whole time. Protecting them. Calling out to them. Mourning at the loss of their innocence and childhood. Grieving with his sons as they experienced more tragedy and loneliness than any person should have to.
And I see his faithfulness to his people. I see how much of a redeemer and restorer he really is. He rescued all 9 of these boys from horrible situations. He has brought them into such a better place than they ever could have been on their own. He has made them new. The words that once defined them have been replaced with words like joyful, kind, loving, and wanted.
So I praise him for what he has done and what is yet to come. I praise him for the privilege it was to spend an amazing month laughing with these boys. I praise him for who he is- rescuer, redeemer, restorer. And I praise him for the amazing men of God he is raising up at Abba House.
Look out world, their is a new generation rising up!
