School is out for summer! As summer vacation begins, some of the orphans we serve leave their children’s home to temporarily stay with any living relative who may be willing to take them in for a few weeks during the break.
I hardly know how to wrap my mind around this reality. It’s difficult to understand how someone can provide food and shelter for them for several weeks but not all year. Similarly, in the past few weeks we have learned that a few other children from various homes have been reunited with a parent (for what we have been told will be a permanent change). Orphan children returning to their families for good is supposed to be my dream come true. But if I’m honest, in my core, I’m not there yet emotionally or mentally. I find myself doubting that these moms, many of whom are prostitutes, have turned their lives around and are now able to provide for their children.
But God spoke to me today and encouraged me through two women at Rio III, a squatter’s village that we serve. Olga and her husband live near Manantial de Amor. Olga’s vision is to be a light for God to the people of Rio III. A strong supporter of Back2Back, she often partners with us through her church, as together we serve the community. After a day of outreach, Olga stood up to thank the American team for serving and encouraging her in providing for the community. Afterwards, two women from the neighborhood shared their testimonies with the group. They explained that they used to be hated in their community by everyone. They had lived lives full of anger and bitterness. Often they would abandon their families for weeks at a time. Their children would beg them to come home and only then would they briefly return before leaving again.
At first, they hated Olga’s church. But that started to change when their children began attending the church and they saw God’s goodness manifest in their lives. Eventually, they got involved with the church and Bible study Olga facilitates. Since then, these two women have changed dramatically. They are growing in the Lord, serving in the church, and striving to be loving mothers.
Two women from Rio III share how God has transformed their lives
I immediately realized that if God can change two of the most despised women in the community, He is more than able to radically transform the lives of the moms who have taken their children out of an orphanage and are trying to do what is right.
Absolutely nothing is impossible for God! I want to invite you to pray with me for the children who will get to go home for a few weeks this summer and for those who might get to return home for good. Would you join me in praying for their safety and that God would do a mighty work in their families?