There is a beautiful story of transformation in Doug Lawson’s book Give to Live, which exemplifies the true meaning of giving. William’s story vividly reminds me of our ministry at Baptist Children’s Homes (BCH).
When William (Willie) was five, he developed Von-Recklinhousen’s disease. Tumors soon covered his small body. At twelve, his parents died, and he was alone with his physical nightmare. He faced cruel rejection as a teen. He turned to alcohol and then drugs to numb his misery. His anger and desperation led him into crime. By the time he was 21, Willie had been sentenced to prison. He was rejected by the inmates and spent his time in solitary confinement.
Dr. Darrell Davis heard of Willie’s predicament and was eager to experiment with a new surgery that held hope for Von-Recklinhousen’s disease victims. Dr. Davis performed 16 operations on Willie. He worked at no charge to liberate the boy from his personal prison.
On Willie’s birthday, Dr. Davis came to Willie’s cell with a brightly wrapped gift. When the paper was torn away, Willie found himself looking in a mirror. He saw a normal face. He cried. He laughed. He hugged his benefactor.
The change in his life was immediate. Willie returned to society and began a new life. From then until his death, Willie was known as an outstanding citizen, always reaching out to help others.
Many of the children in our care are like Willie. Their scars are not as visible, but they are just as real. They know rejection and despair all too well. They bury their hurt, pain, and grief deep inside and become trapped in darkness. Sometimes, like Willie, they try to escape through alcohol, drugs, and suicide attempts. Just as Dr. Davis was there to offer hope to Willie, we are here to offer hope to these boys and girls.
At BCH, children and families find healing. Through your faithful and prayerful support, the bondage of anger and hopelessness felt by the boys and girls is broken and replaced with Christ’s love.
I recently sent out a request to our staff to share prayer requests that I would then pass on to you—our wonderful supporters and prayer warriors. These are just a few of the requests I received. I will be sharing more in my November column.
Pray for each of these children and families—that their scars will be healed.
Pray for the sisters who had to be removed from their home, which had been a drug house.
Pray for the eight-year-old boy who carries significant trauma from the beatings he received from his family.
Pray for the children who were moved from one house to another by families who were evading the authorities.
Pray for children who have always lived in depravity.
Pray for a sibling group who is currently in care and continues to grieve the loss of their father, who was the primary breadwinner of the family. Pray for the mom of the children that she would come to know God, break her addiction, and be able to provide for her children.
Pray that our children in care know they are loved dearly and that what happened in their lives is not their fault.
Pray for the families we serve. Some are dealing with marital issues, some have lost their jobs, and some have just lost hope.
Pray for our campers at Cameron Boys Camp and Camp Duncan for Girls. Pray for those dealing with the loss of their biological parents—whether it is because of drug issues, death, the loss of parental rights, or those who have chosen not to be a part of their child’s life. More than half of our campers are dealing with this kind of loss.
Pray for the young girl who came into care with horrible cigarette burns on her body.
Pray for our amazing foster parents who are offering hope to the children in their homes.
Pray for our birth mothers, the families that will be formed, and the precious babies who will be placed in their forever homes.
Pray for the precious three-year-old foster child in our care who is fighting cancer.
Pray for the family of Brian, one of our IDD residents, who just made his journey home to be with his Lord and Savior.
Pray for our staff as they share the love of God with each child and family that walks through our doors.
Please pray! Each one of these children and families needs your prayers. Each day they walk through our doors bruised and scarred by the life they have known. They come seeking a safe place and a loving environment where they can experience hope and healing. They need to know and understand they are loved by God and that He has a plan for each of them. They need to know God’s blessing is on them. BCH is the place where they can once again hope. BCH is the place where they will find large doses of encouragement and love—YOUR encouragement, YOUR love.
I enjoy putting together puzzles. I get really upset when it is almost finished, and I realize there is a missing piece. Our children’s lives are made up of many separated, broken, and missing pieces. YOU have become the piece to fill those spaces. YOUR prayers and support mean so much. Please continue to help us fill in the missing pieces with peace, hope, love, and the message of an eternal relationship with a Father who loves each one.
FYI—We recently hosted the Liberty Baptist Association Bible Drill at Mills Home. Our children and youth won second prize. They missed first prize by only one question. The significance is that most of these children have not been in church prior to coming to BCH. They were competing with children and youth who have been in Sunday school and church for some time. The significance is that they are learning so much about God’s plan for their lives through the leadership of Mills Home Baptist Church Pastor Luis and our amazing cottage parents who are pouring God’s truth into them every day. The most significant thing that happened was not the Bible Drill, which was awesome, but one of our boys accepted Jesus into his heart after the event. Praise God for this beyond wonderful blessing!
Written by Brenda B. Gray, Executive Vice President, Development & Communications