Burning the Boats

On Monday, we received the disturbing news that Amy's home had been burned to the ground. It is suspected that the man who was abusing her is the one who set the fire, but no one has been willing to come forth to make a statement. I went to the city with her to file a police report and she insisted on seeing the house for herself. It was extremely painful to see her agony as she walked through the rubble and ash that remained of her belongings. It reminded me of the stories of Greek commanders who ordered their men to "burn the boats" after they landed on shore. As one of those warriors, you would know that there was no retreat and the only way home was through victory. I shared this story with Amy and said, "God has given you hope for your future and doesn't want you to look back." This has been a devastating blow to her and she needs your prayers. We praise God for rescuing her and her three sons from this situation that could have ended in tragedy.

You Give Me Hope

On Sunday morning, Mike shared about the hope we have in Christ, citing Jeremiah 29:11. He emphasized that when we have confident expectation of what the future holds, we radiate hope to those around us. As he finished the service, Gessica (7-year-old) asked me why Amy (a woman who is staying with us) was crying. I told her that maybe it was because she needed God's hope for her future. We walked over to sit next to her and as I put my arm around Amy, Gessica looked into her eyes and asked, "Why are you crying? Do you need hope? I can give you some of mine!" She reached up and wrapped her small arms around Amy's neck, squeezed her tight...and then asked again, "Do you have hope now?" It was such a precious moment to see the innocent expectation in Gessica's eyes, followed by a new release of tears from Amy as she said, "Yes, I have hope!" Later, I shared with Gessica that I thought that her joy was a special gift from God and that He was going to use her to share His hope with others. She took this to heart because when we arrived at church that night, I saw her going from person to person, asking them if they had hope. They were mostly caught off guard by her question and I heard her say to several of them, "Do you know what hope is? It's when you know your future is going to be good, so you're happy." She would then ask them if they wanted some because she had hope and she could share. What a beautiful picture of childlike faith! Hebrews 11:1 says, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Please join with us in faith and confident expectation for Amy's future, as well as for all of the children in our care.