As I sit here at my computer today, I am once again numb...
As my children sleep soundly, with full bellies, in their OWN rooms, with warm blankets, I am once again numb...
As I look at the groceries in my kitchen, I am reminded of abundance, and I am once again numb...
As I think of my family that I miss so greatly, Mother's Day approaching, my little man on the other side of the ocean, I am once again numb...
As I looked in her face this morning, in the eyes of her daughters, dirty, broken, lonely, hungry, and hopeless, I am once again numb...
Today we were blessed to do our weekly food delivery to some families in need in our community. As we pulled up to her house and parked on the side of the street, 2 of the guys on the team we have serving here pulled me aside and said they wanted to give her money.... I thought to myself, they haven't met her yet, they haven't even seen her living conditions, her lack of food, the look of desperation in the eyes of her children... and I knew... God was going to do something!
Many of you have read about Brenda (click
here to read more)... and her situation. She is a mother of 6 children, blind, living in a place that is not their own, no food to eat, declining health, and is being kicked out of the only place they have to stay. We visit Brenda at least once a week and I am continually broken by her situation. I see team after team come, bring Brenda food, pray with her, and leave broken. I take part in conversation after conversation where we ask ourselves, what can we do? Where we ask ourselves why? Where we fight back the tears as we feel a sickness in the pit of our stomachs.
Each time we leave broken.
Each time we fall to our knees.
Each time we plea for redemption.
Today... as we sat and talked to Brenda and held her calloused hands, there was something in the eyes of her daughters that was different. It was a look of desperation. Brenda explained to us that her husband had become very angry with her, that he had blamed her for their situation, blamed her that the children didn't have enough, blamed her that there isn't food each day, blamed her that they are sleeping on a filthy mattress on a filthy floor. Not only had he blamed her, but he had beaten her. And not only had he beaten her, he had beaten their daughters too.
I wiped the cheek of and looked into the eyes of Brenda's daughter, a 15 year old girl who knows more pain that I will most likely ever experience in my life. Someone on the team asked me to tell her that God wanted her to know that she is precious, she is beautiful, that HE created her, and that HE has a plan for her. As I held her hand, I asked her if she knew that.... her eyes dropped to the floor as she shook her head no. Her eyes sunk further as she told me her dad had been hitting her. And further as she told me that she does not want to live with him any longer.
Sweet Jesus, we are on our knees. We KNOW and we TRUST that only YOU can redeem this broken situation. We know and we trust that only YOU can draw this family, each one of them to yourself. Jesus be their Savior, be their light, be their healer, be their protector. We don't understand... we can't comprehend the pain... we can't comprehend the hopelessness... but we know that YOU are sovereign and place all of our hope and trust in that promise.
Please join us in praying for Brenda and her family!
