Psalm 11:5 The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence.
The Stories:
It’s Spring 2011. We just finished showing Finding Nemo at the town square. We told the children that Jesus searches for us just like the father fish searched for Nemo. When the movie ended, a child no more than 8 years old walked over to me and we had the follow exchange:
Little boy: “Thanks for showing the movie.”
Me: “I’m so glad you enjoyed it!”
Little boy: “No, you don’t understand, when I get home tonight my daddy will be asleep. He won’t be able to touch me. So thanks for showing the movie.”
It’s a conversation that I can’t forget. It’s one of many that I can’t understand.
***
I recently talked to a lady in our church. She told me that she knew her boyfriend was abusing her children. If she leaves him her children will starve. He provides for the family. He pays the rent. He provides the food.
Does she risk life and death for the scars of abuse?
***
When we first moved to the Mole, we came across a family with two slave children. We immediately reached out to those children and their family broke one of their arms. When we reach out to those children, they hurt them.
If we don’t reach out to those children, they still hurt them.
***
For the last few months, I regularly see two little boys in my clinic. They are typical little boys – always into trouble. Each week I clean the wounds on their backs. Scars from the beatings that their grandma gave them. Wounds that remind me of the back of Jesus.
Do they even know if anyone loves them? Who will pour into their lives?
***
We recently held a Vacation Bible School. During the VBS, we met two small children who couldn’t believe that Jesus loved them. They were abused by their earthly father and could not make a connection that their Father in Heaven would be any different.
How can we give them the HOPE of Heaven? How can we show them God’s unending love?
***
Over the last two years, we have met with hundreds of teens. As we began to know them personally, we found that 90% had been abused by either a family member or a neighbor.
How do we keep them from repeating what they’ve experienced with their own children?
***
My heart just can’t take it anymore. I’m completely broken before the Lord. God has opened my eyes to the layers of darkness in my community and the surrounding neighborhoods. God has laid it so heavily on my heart that I can no longer “tell” about the stories. But He’s empowered me to “change” the stories.
The Vision: My staff has been praying the last several months about how we might stop the cycle of abuse in Haiti, especially at the Mole.
We want to start a campaign that will begin with education. We want to go to the radio stations and start educating. We want to go to the schools and educate the children. We want to make banners to hang over the main streets. We want to create shirts & buttons – constant reminders that what is happening is not okay.
We want to offer a way out for families who feel like they must stay in an abusive home because there’s no other way to feed their families. We want to start gearing our VBS towards good touch/bad touch. We want the children to understand that what is happening to them is not okay and we’re ready to advocate for them.
The Call: We need you!
We need you to immerse us in prayer first and foremost! We are attacking a crime that no one wants to talk about. We know we will meet resistance along the way. We know that we will receive threats and curses. But we have no fear – because we also know that greater is HE that is in us!
We will need help with funds in order to give families a way out of their abusive home!
We need wisdom – wisdom to figure all of this out. Wisdom to do this in the right way – a way that will be pleasing to God.
7 responses to “Scarred or Starved…”
My heart has been burdened for these children as well and I don’t have to see it everyday. I just remember the beatings and the stories you have told. And I remember the sweet faces and spirits that struggle to understand that this is NOT the way it should be…I will be praying for this endeavor and for your wisdom and will just ask God daily to intervene. I know He hears us…and loves them. Thank you for your heart Jody, it has truly changed my life!
Praying for Haiti, the children, and that your campaign results in change.
I’m with you! It’s not just the Mole either. I’m disgusted too, & so are others as we too have become aware of this evil. Gang rapes in the tent cities too. I’m going to forward this to Patricia Goodman who is starting a foundation called HOPE 4 MY SISTER. I want to open a shelter in PAP, but that may take awhile. Keep on it, Sister!!!! Blessings to you!!!!
Oh dear God,
Your heart is breaking for these children and their parents. We beg You to reign over this town of Mole. We pray for an outpouring of healing by Your divine intervention. Father, I pray with David the Psalmist who once said, “O Lord my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me. 3 O Lord, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. 4 Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:1-5) We cry out for Your favor to fall fresh the Castillo family. May You raise up an army to defend these innocent children. Grant the Castillo’s the desire of their hearts, that You may be glorified. Through the power of the name of Jesus ~ Amen.
tel me how I can help!
I appreciate so much everyone’s responses and many of the emails I’ve gotten. It’s definitely a complex thing to address. We hope to meet with community officials by the end of the month. The biggest thing we need right now is prayers for wisdom and unity among all our community leaders.
Once we decide how we’re going to help these families then we’ll need the funds to feed them – potentially offer them a safe place to come – – perhaps start some small micro-businesses so that families can find their footing again.
The needs for this are overwhelming but the thought of doing nothing takes my breath away.
Hi Jody,
We are praying and thinking about how we might be a resource to you. Keep on sharing the story. We need to be reminded that the cost to do nothing is too high a price and the Glory of our Lord is worth the efforts!