Hello…Goodbye!

Change is part of life and in the Miriam Home it has a bigger place than most. That doesn’t always (or often) make it easier to see the children leave after you have gotten to know and love them!

The  last couple of weeks two young ladies, who had been with us longer than is common, rejoined their families. They arrived in very different places in their lives and though they are no longer in the Miriam Home they still need your prayers!

Larissa came to us because of extreme conflict with her mother. She comes from a comparatively stable background. Both her parents have jobs and though they are far from wealthy, they provided every material thing their children needed, but at 17 years old, Larissa was woefully neglected spiritually. She arrived with almost no knowledge of the Lord or the Bible (she knew far more about Greek mythology than  the Bible) and her first visit to the Free Lutheran Church in Lar Parana was her first time in an evangelical church.

Larissa was in the Miriam home for 8 months and experienced quite a journey. To begin with she was really excited to be involved in every service and meeting the church offered, butnot because of a thirst for God, but from a desire to be out of the house. But week by week, friendships formed in the house and the messages shared in services and Bible studies began to impact her heart. In the middle of the year you all held up Larissa as she went through an emotional crises that threatened her future. Besides praying, some of you wrote her and the concern you showed touched her heart in new ways.

Praise the Lord, Larissa invited Jesus into her heart. Though she is a baby in the Lord, she is taking her first steps with the Lord and we are so glad to see her continuing to come to church even after she returned to her family. Her biggest challenge is knowing how to build healthy relationships, both within her family and with friends. She will be 18 in just two months and has already said she is planning on moving out on her own when she is able. She has made bad relationship decisions in the past, (some just a short time ago) and needs the protection and guidance of the Holy Spirit to be safe. Please pray she will open her heart to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The second girl who recently left was Paola, a precious 12 year old, who was also with us for eight months. This young lady came to the Miriam Home because of serious problems in her home. Her mother had made bad decisions but has been working to rectify them. Just recently Paola returned to her mom’s home and we are continuing to follow the family.

For a time Paola lived with her older sister and had been very actively involved in an evangelical church. She came to us with a commitment to the Lord and a good knowledge of the Word of God. In a lot of ways she was a big blessing in the Miriam Home. She felt strongly about faithfulness and doing her best at what ever she was involved in made her a good example, most of the time, for the other children in the house. Her biggest problem is that she has a hard time with forgiveness; that makes her reintegration back in to her family difficult. Please pray that the Lord will soften her heart and that she will understand that the same forgiveness she has received from the Lord needs to be extended to her family.

Of course for every departure there is an arrival, and we have new members of the Miriam Home family. The most recent is Nicolas, an adorable two year old who fills the Miriam Home with his laughter! He is with us because of neglect (his family has chronic problems and his three older siblings have all spent time here).  Please pray we are able to minister into this young life and that God would use us to touch his family.

Editor’s note:  You can find the rest of Jonni’s newsletter here.  Jonni just recently started blogging twice a month for the new WMF blog.  Her first post will be up on Nov. 10th.  Meanwhile…check out the WMF blog!