“I don’t want to go swimming!” Luke exclaimed. His cottage parents heard the fear in his voice.
Luke had not lived at Baptist Children’s Homes (BCH) very long. Everyone in the cottage was still getting to know him and the things that brought a wide smile to his face as well as the things that made the young boy sad or frightened. His cottage parents had cared for many children throughout the years --boys and girls who came to BCH from some of the worst circumstances imaginable. They knew there was a good reason for Luke’s reaction as they all headed to the pool on that hot, summer day.
“It’s okay. We’ll just sit and watch the others swim,” the cottage mother told Luke as she held his trembling hand. As the other children splashed and played, Luke began to open up.
“My head used to be pushed under water in the bath tub,” looking into caring eyes he confides as tears roll down his face.
“You don’t have to worry about that here. No one is going to hurt you,” Luke’s cottage mom assures him.
As the summer day passes, Luke sees that no one else is afraid. He asks, “If I wear a life jacket, will you teach me to swim?”
Luke takes to it like a fish and by the time his cottage travels to the beach later in the summer, he is splashing amongst the waves.
You made Luke’s unforgettable experience possible through your summer sponsorship. Your gift provided Luke a place where he felt safe and loved -- a place where memories of past hurts are replaced by feelings of joy!
Please become a summer sponsor to Luke and the hundreds of boys and girls who count on your dedicated support –– every gift makes a difference!
It is important for meeting their tremendous needs, but also for ensuring their summer is filled with fun activities that create lasting memories.
Michael C. Blackwell
President/CEO
Give online at www.bchfamily.org/summer.