Courage to Take the First Step

Creeeeeeeeek. Huuuuummmmmm.

Startled by a loud noise, Maria Jose sat up in bed clutching her blanket. Her eyes were peeled wide
open as she tried to make out the dark shadows lining the corners of the room. She couldn’t take
it anymore. Gathering her courage, she took a deep breath and darted down the hall to her friend
Azucena’s room.

Azucena and Nazmin had stayed up late chatting. They turned to Maria Jose, who they affectionately called Majo, as she bolted into the room.

“I heard noises,” Majo whispered, “I’m scared in my room alone. Can I hang out with you guys for awhile?” Without a word, the girls scooted apart and Nazmin patted the spot for her to sit between them on the bed. For the next hour or so, they just talked — about life, this transition into the Abigail Hope House in Mazatlan, and Majo’s long struggle with fearing the dark.

Nazmin opened up about her own journey through fear, “There are so many things I was afraid of. But then I was introduced to a relationship to God through his son Jesus. I found out that in Him, I always have a safe place to talk about my fears. Some fears have gone away, others haven’t. But I’m confident God loves me. He will take care of me and won’t let the things I’m afraid of overwhelm me.”

Azucena nodded in agreement and added, “Having a relationship with God has helped me through so much too.”

The girls continued to share about their fears and what God had brought them through. They talked about God like a real person, a best friend, a mentor and a father all at the same time. And this made Majo think. She’d wrestled with fear for so long it had begun to feel like it was a part of her. But as she listened to her friends share about the freedom they had found, she began to wonder if she too could find peace in her life. Like Majo, they had experienced loss and pain in their short lives, but Azucena and Nazmin had a noticeable assurance Majo wanted.

Eventually, Majo found the courage to ask them about starting a relationship with God. Nazmin explained God as the only good and perfect Father, that He loved Majo so much and nothing she could ever do would change how He felt about her. Majo grew more excited as they talked — she knew she wanted in on this beautiful relationship they described.

So on a late, hot August night, Majo prayed with her friends to accept God as her father, friend and Savior. In that moment, the trajectory of her life changed.

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Moments like this are the reason Back2Back exists. Our goal is to help orphans and vulnerable children overcome their circumstances by caring for them today and giving them hope for tomorrow through a relationship with God.

Maria Jose still gets nervous when the lights turn off. But when the darkness overwhelms her, she takes a deep breath and prays. The peace doesn’t always come immediately, so she tries to focus on how much God loves her and is always with her. And that helps her sleep at night.