Pastor Johnson and the members of Revival Tabernacle welcomed the team Sunday morning. Margaret met with the house mom and the children today after church to begin preparations and brief the children as to the status of opening the home. They were such sweet children and all participate in AWANA and Sunday school at the church. Pastor Johnson said he chose these particular children because he felt they already had a natural connection in the church and that all had trusted Jesus as their Lord.
Margaret spoke to them about their identity in Christ, how we are all adopted children of the Lord and needed to adjust to being together as a family. Pastor Johnson and Margaret wanted to set some expectations with the children of what to expect in their new life. Several things were discussed such as having a sense of belonging, standing up for your brothers and sisters, understanding that their will be disagreements, that Pastor Johnson was their new Daddy, being aware that some of the children have bad hurts and that each member of the family must be patient and kind as everyone adjusts. Sharing stories and healing past hurts was an aspect of the orientation. A friend of Yvonne Pickens and the Noblins, Lutaaya Abdul, a former Muslim now born-again, who ministers to street children and orphans in Kampala shared his story and how he adjusted when he was living on the street as a young boy.
Several of the boys who are on the street were suspicious but as Lutaaya told his story their body language changed and they relaxed and listened intently. You could see the relief in their faces as they connected with the experiences of the pain and fear of being beaten by older street kids as they tried to survive in a rough environment. Many times Ugandans “keep quiet” when they hurt so when these things are discussed it is unusual. Margaret talked to the children about bringing the hurts out in the light so they could heal and asked them to pray about a sister or brother who would be their prayer partner and close friend in the family. As the healing process begins there will be many challenges for the house mom and the children. Please join us in praying for these children we believe God has chosen to be restored with a hope and a future.