In honor of Mother's Day I thought it would be appropriate to share a few stories related to my children. I have three kids -
well two are adults now - but I can still call them my kids right? My oldest son is Nathaniel. He's 23, has a full time job and has recently lost over 50 pounds! My daughter, Rebekah, is 21 years old. She works part time and is engaged to be married in September. My youngest child, Joshua, is almost 17 years old. He's a full time student - currently applying for after school jobs. When I started my ministry - working with homeless pregnant women - they were ages 16, 14 & 10 respectively. So it's safe to say they have 'grown up' in and around ministry. They have learned a lot. They have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of ministry and are BETTER PEOPLE because of it - of that I'm convinced!
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| Erika, Bekah & MaySee |
When I first started the New Life Center program we didn't have two pennies to rub together. We didn't have a residential facility, a second-hand boutique or even a storage unit. This grassroots ministry was forged on hard work and elbow grease - literally! We got our start in the trenches - but it was important to keep our finger on the pulse of what was happening in the community; to see the need first hand, to meet the women face to face, to hear their stories and understand their struggles. Thanks Pastor Robbie for teaching me that lesson!
Several times a year we would set up a small tent at a local outreach and hand out all the baby items we could haul in my old beat up mini-van. We would meet low income pregnant women at those outreaches, take down their contact information and ask for a list of their needed items. Then we would do our best to meet their needs. Sometimes it took weeks to collect the items - and that required some storage.
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| Michelle & I at a local outreach event |
As I mentioned earlier, we didn't have money for storage. So, my daughter's bedroom became the temporary residence of all our baby item donations. During one busy season there was a changing table in the corner of her room completely packed out and spilling over with donation items. My daughter used to say that changing table and mess of baby items was the 'best form of birth control'. Of course, my daughter (all of my kids really) know that there are FAR WORSE things you can 'get' from being sexually active than just a baby!
That's a blog topic for another day!
I believe my daughter has had the most interaction with the New Life Center ladies - due to her gender. She has always been interested in seeing the new babies and interacting with the kids. When she was 17 I asked her to babysit for the first time. She was somewhat intimidated by the number of kids - but she did awesome. I know she's going to be a great mom!
About three years ago there was one young client who came to the NLC Home. She had a newborn baby with her but we agreed to admit her in the program because her parents were very concerned about the wellbeing of the baby - and the young woman refused to go back and live at home. Shortly after being admitted into our program she decided she wanted to leave and asked to be taken to the hospital at 11 o'clock at night! We knew she was leaving to go back into a very dangerous drug filled situation so we were thankful to be able to convince her to leave the baby with us at the New Life Center Home with the understanding that she would contact us the next day and make arrangements to retrieve her baby. The following day was a Sunday so we packed up the baby and brought him to church with us. All day went by with no word from his mother. So finally, towards the end of the day we called the baby's grandmother and made arrangements for him to be picked up that evening.
My daughter was there through all of that! She saw that young mother abandon her baby and choose her drug of choice over her son. Rebekah held him and did her best to comfort him as he cried for his mom. She cried as well and said she didn't understand how anyone could leave their tiny little baby behind. But she was more devastated at the thought of the baby being in a bad environment and she understood the best place for him at that time was with his grandparents. This was a hard situation to wrap your brain around as a grown adult - but my daughter was only 18 and even she knew the importance of putting your child's needs over your own selfish desires.
There is a blog post in that lesson as well!
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| Nathaniel & Kwaran |
My two boys have also had their share of interactions with the NLC ladies and their kids. Most recently Nathaniel asked me to take some photos of him holding one of the kids. He asked me "does this baby make me look attractive"? He is single and
ready to mingle - I think he might have had the idea that being seen holding a baby makes him a 'chic magnet'! Not sure if that's really a 'thing' -
maybe I should post those photos online and conduct my own little social experiment...or not....lol. But on a more serious note, Nathaniel is very gentle and loving with the kids. He also knows when to hand them back to their mother's! I am confident he is going to be a very calm and attentive parent one day.
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| Josh & Abigail playing |
Josh, on the other hand, is a playful energetic 'kid magnet' for the NLC kids. He is always teaching them to plank, do some crazy dance move or ride a skateboard. He is like that fun older brother
(wait, who actually had one of those in real life? Not me! My brother always wanted to play 'sticks' in the backyard which solely consisted of him chasing me around and hitting me with sticks - hence the title of the game! Not much fun!) And the NLC Ladies often treat Josh like their younger brother. One of our ladies straight up told Josh she 'did not' like the girl he was seeing! She said she could sniff out a 'not so nice girl who likes to spend lots of time with men' - from a mile away! I didn't know how else to say that part - the
real words she used were inappropriate for this blog...if you know what I mean!
But that's also a topic for a different blog post!
In closing, I'd just like to say that I have had people approach me and question my judgment regarding my children being raised up around this type of ministry and this particular population of people. I have been criticized for allowing them to be exposed to clients' bad behaviors, sometimes foul language and occasionally dangerous lifestyles. However much I want to shelter my kids and protect them I cannot allow them to put a cover over their lampstands! My husband and I have agreed to do our best to train up our children in Christ while allowing them the freedom to shine their lights in dark places. God has always protected our children and He will continue to protect them and use them to reach the 'least of these' for His glory...starting right here in ministry - with the New Life Center ladies and their kids!
Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's near and far!
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| Throwback...the kids & I at church |
