The things you try to protect your Daughters from ...
Raising our girls in a Christian home, we were often accused of being to sheltering. We were careful what movies they would watch, what music we listened to and what friends they hung out with. In so many ways I tries to protect them from what was in the world .. People said that they needed to experience the world around them. Our response was always .. they will, In Gods time .. Bring them up in His ways, and when they are older they will not depart from that ..
Yesterday I sat at a table at the farm for lunch and could not help but think of the " Sheltered Life " our girls live .. Everything that Julie and I worked so hard to protect them from is right here at the table , in your face .. for those who did not have someone watching out for them , life has been so much different, and there is no sheltering our girls now. They have seen more and been in the centre of more heart wrenching situations then I ever could have imagined, and they are handling it like pro's .. teaching , counselling , and restoring hope and dignity to the hurting around them ..
As I look around the table, here is what I see; .
Beside Emma, A young girl , kicked out of the orphanage at 16, and found at the bazaar with no home and no idea where she would go , now in her third year of nursing school
next to her a young girl from an orphanage, Brideknaped at 15 and rescued ... by Emma and Sergey as the town rocked their van to get her back... then a year later sold by the social worker that was to be caring for her , and rescued again by Aigoola and her family , now finished her first year of hairdressing school and moving out to the farm after her practicum is finished next month
Next to her , two girls raised in an orphanage for several years after their father tried to kill their mother and the family had to seek shelter since the police would not hold the father because he did not actually kill the mother ,
Next around the table , two young boys raised in an orphanage for children with disabilities.. I wont even get into telling some of the things that Emma and Jengish have had to deal with while helping them to get on the right path .. but both incredible young men trying so hard to please and fit in ..
Then we have Aigoola , brideknaped herself , and abused for 13 years until she finally escaped with her life, and her kids into an orphanage where they began the long road to rebuild a family for the kids.
Next is a single mom with three kids .. At this point, we can't even begin to discuss the past, she has more on her plate then she is able to deal with , just living in the present ...
That does not include the kids that we have been helping with school , finding jobs, the young mothers with kids that are struggling to survive on their own ... then the phone rings and there are eight more kinds living on the street in Bishkek that need homes .. can we take them ? .. We can take them , but we also know that with them we are also taking on all their hurts , and their past ..
Today I watch my " Sheltered Girls" in the middle of this .. defending those who had no one to shelter them when they were young. |I don't know how many times we have felt like we would crumble under the weight of the world around us here, but we have taught the girls is to " Look to the mountains , where does our help comes from ? "
These are the daily trials, and many more like them that are driving Jule and Acel to walk 800km to raise awareness .. At some point we are praying that people will recognise the size of this task , and step forward to validate the walk they are taking , and make a donation to support their cause, and support so many here in Kyrgyzstan like those sitting around the table .
Psalm 121 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
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