I walked through a dump yesterday...
Trash was everywhere, smells made me want to vomit and I desperately tried to understand why this was normal to everyone around me.
I was visiting with Nadege, the child I have wanted to adopt for a while now. We were on a hunt for school schoes and she took me through a maze of back alleys and tiny little walkways to look for second hand shoes being sold on the street.
Sadly, this isn't something that is new to me. I have been to Haiti many times. This wasn't even my first time walking through a dump, and compared to the slums of Kenya, this was "beautiful." (sarcasm galore)
What made my heart break was that I was walking through with my child and the realization that this is her everyday normal hit me pretty hard. She walks these streets all the time.ALONE most of the time. I prayed for her safety. I declared covering over her life. I declared that she would one day know a new normal and would not ever have to succomb to life on the street.
I refuse to allow this to be her normal or the normal of many other girls in my communities! There is a better way and it's my responsibility to help teach them that there are other ways of life. There is hope in Christ.
My mind began to think about all of my girls in Cameroon. They don't to walk through slums or dumps on a daily basis but they walk through some pretty rough stuff. Many of them are orphans, some have been abandoned by family and some just don't have their basic needs met.
Pray, Declare, Worship, Pray, Declare, Worship... that has become my formula for success. After all the prayers and declarations, I pull out my notebook of how to help in a practical way.
Discipleship, Mentoring, Vocational Training and Love... This is how we change nations and change the futures of many young women who feel like they don't have hope. They need to learn the truth of Jeremiah 29:11. They need to know that Christ died for them to have freedom and they don't have to be "slaves" to the craziness of this world. They MUST know that sleeping with men to have their needs met isn't the answer. They need to know that they are loved and God has NOT forgotten them.
This means I have a LOT of work to do and so do YOU!!!!
My heart may be broken but it will not break me. This broken heart has ignited more fire in me to bring truth to the young women in my Community. With the truth of the gospel, we will teach them practical life skills to help them have a better life. No more will they walk through literal and figurative "dumps" in their lives and accept it as status quo.
Join me in this fight for a better life. Are you a teacher? (Bible or Academia) Do you have vocational/life skills that can be taught to women who want a better life? Has your heart been burdened for women around the world and you are looking for a place to help? Are you a sender of such people? Do you have supplies sitting in your closet that can be donated to help change lives?
The Hope and Destiny Training Academy needs you! My next blog will have more about this exciting new adventure... You can email me for more details if you are interested.
In the meantime, ask God to break your heart for what breaks His and then respond in the way He leads you to move! Don't allow your broken heart to lead you into depression or despair. Allow it to motivate you for change! The people in your community and sphere of influence need YOU!
