Monday, November 02, 2009

Real Homes, Real Love

Everyone needs a place where they can know without a doubt that they are accepted and loved. A place where there are healthy boundaries borne out of a concern for their welfare, a place where they are cared for and where adults step up and lift the burdens and worries of life off their young shoulders and let them just be kids again. They need a place where the love of Jesus Christ is manifested and made real in every word and touch. That’s the kind of place we strive to be.

For some, coming to us is the revival of a time when life seemed filled with hope. A time before their world had turned into an existence colored only in dingy hues, where the bright cheery light of day seemed to be fading away. Blue skies and bright sunshine had vanished. Others arrive in survival mode, coping with overwhelming challenges of neglect, abuse, and abandonment. They harden their exterior, and project a tough unaffectedness but inside a gnawing emptiness and fear steadily grows. They don’t have the answers for questions they don’t even yet know how to articulate. They stagger under the weight of emotional pain and brokenness that they long to be free of.

This is where The Children’s Village has the opportunity to minister the love of Christ to these children. We can help remove their burden of fear and hurt because we care for them, compelled by our Lord who is in the business of being a tender Father to the hurting, rejected, downtrodden. We support them, encourage them, guide them, and provide their needs. We show them they can trust in adults who will be there for them, who are committed to their success, protection, and their good. We simply treat them like our own. And, in keeping with our motivation, we help them understand that God loves them even more than we, and that His redeeming love can transform and make beautiful things every life.

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