Fresh Start

Grateful for an incredible first week of ministry! This past week my team and I painted the interior of one of the transition homes for women and their children who are escaping exploitation. It was a privilege to be able to serve in such a tangible way. I’m grateful to have played a part in giving these women (who may not even know they’ll be living here soon) a fresh, clean space to call their own. To see the space come together by the end of the week helped me to really see what we had the honor of doing here. I could imagine these women with their kids having their own space to call home, maybe for the first time in their lives. A space for their kids to make friends and play without worry. A community tucked away from the city for them to explore. A team of believers ready to welcome them in and do everything they can to ensure a brighter future for them and their children.

What caught my eye more than anything on our first day was the kids’ doodles all over the white walls. Some were big and decipherable, others scribbles with lots of color. All drawn by kids who had to grow up way too fast. My heart broke for each little one who took to these walls with crayons and markers. I hope this home brought them a piece of their childhood back, and I hope they are off to bigger and better things now that they have transitioned out of the house. I couldn’t help but see my niece and nephews and the kids from my church family in these scribbles. What if it had been them? My mind can’t even go there. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them, so to be able to do this for kids I don’t even know was very powerful.

My team took time to pray often over the house and the lives of those it would touch. I felt drawn to specifically pray over the individual doodles. For the child who created it. For the life that little girl leads now. For the childhood that little boy hopefully reclaimed. For the people influencing each one of them. For the children that will soon come to live here. For them to find hope and friendship and love here. For them all to find God through it all. That He would redeem all their pain and turn it around for good. He always does. What a privilege to be a part of it.