Editor’s note: Normally, I will give you a teaser from a missionary’s newsletter but this time, I just had to include all the children Jonni talked about here on the post. You can read about Jonni’s prayer requests and her upcoming visit to the US here.
After a short lull the end of December and the beginning of January, the Miriam Home is once again full and hopping. We have 13 children in the house and with summer holidays in full gear, there is never a dull moment! Let me introduce you to the gang.
Let’s start with the youngest, they have also b
een here the longest, both arrived last year. Nicolas and Emily are both nearly three years old. Nicolas is with us because of extreme neglect and abandonment; Emily because of regular abuse from her father, and the fact that her family wouldn’t or couldn’t defend her. This precious little tyke arrived not trusting in a single person, today she has a beautiful smile and a ringing laugh - as long as she can see one of the house moms. If she can’t see them the fear and panic returns in a flash.
Next in line we have Emerson (5 years old), Lucas (8 years old) and his sister Sara (5 years old). Emerson was picked up at 11 p.m. wande
ring in the street. It is the third time in the last several months this has happened. Apparently when Emerson’s father drinks the little boy makes himself scarce. This little boy has been with us two weeks and has begun talking to us and the other children just recently (the first days we thought he might have had autism because of his inability to connect with others, but that appears to have been more from fear than anything else). Lucas and Sara are the newest members of the Miriam family and we know a lot less about them and their family. What we do know, based on what we can see and hear as they interact with the other children, is that they have been exposed to much more of the things of the world than our teens should be, much less little children. These little ones desperately need healing of heart and mind.
Now we come to the pre-adolescent boys. Luiz (12) 
is an old friend. He was in the Miriam Home for over a year before he went to live with his grandparents, but old habits returned and soon Luiz was running away from h
ome to accompany his mother on the street. Since the street shouldn’t be the home of any child, Luiz came back to us. Daniel (9) is a funny, affectionate child, but he really misses his mom and home. He doesn’t understand why he was taken from his home. Life with his mother was 
the only reality he knew and the fact that she would “rent him out” to anyone who would give her money for drugs was just a fact of life. Thaylon (12) is also new to the Miriam Home. He came to us because his mother is in an institution because of mental problems and his father is a violent alcoholic. That being said, Thaylon is an bright, helpful young man who has easily fit into the house.
The pre-teen girls are Amanda (7) and Crislaine (9), who have very similar stories - both were being abused by neighbors or friend
s of their families. Tragically, the impact on these very young girls is clear. At an age when they should be playing with My Little Pony and Cabbage Patch dolls they have an interest in boys and sexuality that passes that of most experienced teens. In the same small group is Alicy (10), who came to us because her father becomes violent when he drinks, but it is clear from Alicy’s behavior that she has also been exposed to much more than her young heart can deal with.
The older girls in the house are Angely and Reb
ecca. Both are 14 and both are here because their families say they can’t control them. These young girls have taken on adult life styles and though both of them have at least one adult that is trying to provide the care they need, they haven’t found a way to reach the girls’ hearts. Here, in the Home, we see them, bit by bit, opening their hearts.
As you can see we have a wide range of amazing children in the Miriam Home, and in their own, individual ways, they each have broken hearts, with pieces missing. There is no doctor or psychologist who can fix them. The only one who can mend what has been broken is the One who formed them to begin with. Please pray for the Father Creator to bring His healing touch to each of our charges!
