The Background
Juan and Sandra Alegre, the couple who began the church, have a heart for aiding victims of domestic abuse. They have been praying for a while on how they can best get involved, and it seems God is now flinging the door wide open for the church to support.
A Girl
Her name is Natalie and she is seven-years-old. I arrived to my new home in Cajabamba (which is the Alegres') where Natalie and her mom, Maria, were temporary residents. Here was the situation: this seven year old had been raped by her step-father and was in need of temporary lodging while the local judicial office was investigating her case, and the Alegres have the space in their house to accommodate extra guests.
Through the their efforts to provide aid to those who have been abused, the Alegres have gained a great rapport with the local District Attorney’s office, who now calls on them as a resource in situations like Natalie’s. Hers was especially complicated: she had previously been living with her grandma, but during the trial her mom had decided she wanted to now raise her. While the court was also determining custody rights, they allowed for her to be with her mom (note that her mother was also pregnant). Thus, my first taste of Cajabamba living included living with Natalie and Maria. My first 10 days here were pretty heavily defined by this young girl and her mom. Heavy, indeed is an accurate adjective indeed. Compassion was deep but many times my patience was also tried. After a couple days I realized I hadn’t really talked yet with God about Natalie, her mom, and the whole situation. Of course, God in His fashion gently reminded me that He often deals with these kinds of things. The Holy Spirit began to lead me to pray for them, to ask God to let them know that He loved them, that God was protecting them, and that God cared for them. The circumstances were still difficult, and in some ways, it got harder. Maria had to go to the hospital a couple nights due to issues with her kidneys, which was also tricky since she was pregnant. She ended up having to be hospitalized for a few days. While she was gone, there were some really hard nights for Natalie, some in which we first-hand experienced her struggle with the trauma from her abuse. But this time also opened an opportunity for Sandra to directly take Natalie under her wing to teach her, correct her, guide her, and nurture her. Through this, Natalie ended up accepting Christ! And man, I cannot tell you the night-and-day-difference there was in her after that. Jesus truly does transform lives! After staying at the Alegres for the month of August, the DA’s office moved Natalie back to her grandmother's but also allowed for Maria to live with them as well. It was hard to say goodbye, to let go and trust that Natalie and her mother would be okay. But God reminded me that He’s God and not me (praise Him!). So, I know that God is taking care of them more than I ever could.
The House
A related project of the church that has been in process for a while now is building a safe house to temporarily house women and children who have been abused. The church is currently in the construction phase for both a few transitional living bedrooms at the church as well as for a refuge building outside of town. The vision is to not only offer short-term residence but also to provide a counseling-type program to begin helping these individuals process and mentally overcome their trauma. This past week the church has had a married couple from the states visit to conduct some initial training for the program. And the couple has now decided to move here, which means they will have a major hand in structuring this ministry! It's also crazy to see how God has been preparing my heart for this ministry as well. This summer God spoke a lot to me about how He protects me, cares for me, and how He is always with me. He's also spoken a lot to me about restoring and rebuilding. It's been neat to see that some of the verses and scripture that have meant a lot to me these past few months are some of the same verses and scripture that Sandra has for her vision of the safe house! One of these shared passages is Isaiah 61. Verses 1-7 say:
The Spirit of the Lord God is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify Him. They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the former devastations; they will renew the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers will stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners will be your plowmen and vinedressers. But you will be called the Lord’s priests; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you will eat the wealth of the nations, and you will boast in their riches. Because your shame was double, and they cried out, “Disgrace is their portion,” therefore, they will possess double in their land, and eternal joy will be theirs.
Opened Hearts
As domestic abuse can be something that is difficult to talk about by its victims, the church has also been praying for those who have been abused to speak up about it. Most recently, there have been a number of adult women who have come forward about either currently being abused or having been abused when they were young. While it is hard to hear, it is also the start of the healing process.
Now What?
During Natalie's final week in our Sunday School, we had each child write down a few things they wanted to ask God's help in. Natalie couldn't read or write and therefore asked me to write down her requests for her. She had two requests: "I want God to take care of me. And I want Him to help my mom get out of the hospital," she told me. I melted. Here was a little girl who had already been through so much, and what she wanted more than anything was just to be taken care of. So, please be praying for Natalie and her mother.
Please also be praying for those in the Cajabamba area who have experienced abuse. Pray that God begin working in their hearts to heal them and also to reveal Himself to them. Pray for the construction and program that is being created for the safe house and that God use it as a way to show His love and hope.
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