Your gift to Give NOLA can make all the difference in the world for a child. DL grew up in a family where she felt loved, her mother brought her to church and catechism classes. She learned to pray and discovered God truly did answer prayers! However, when she was nine, she observed that God seemed to be a big secret. His name seemed rarely mentioned at home, no one vocally prayed or said blessings at meals. To DL, it seemed even her neighbors acted as though God didn’t exist.
When DL was just 13, she began to take an interest in boys that wanted to take advantage of her innocence. One of the boys would steal motorcycles for a pawn shop owner. One evening, he came to her home and said he had to leave and go to New Orleans but he wouldn’t leave without her. DL didn’t understand that the pawn shop owner feared the police would catch him in his crime. DL naively packed a bag and ran off in the middle of the night. The owner of the pawn shop took DL (just 14 years old) and the boy (just 16 years old) across two state lines and dropped them off in New Orleans at the boy’s older sister’s home. Fortunately, the young man’s brother-in-law put them on a bus home the next day.
DL’s father wanted to get a court order against the young man but it backed fired when DL refused to tell the judge where the boy took her. DL feared the young man would go to jail for taking her across two state lines. She didn’t realize the pawn shop owner was the guilty party and the judge or DL’s parents didn’t know this missing piece of the puzzle. The judge sentenced DL to a local detention home until she was willing to talk. What appeared to her parents as a horrible situation became one of the turning points in DL’s life.
In the detention home, Christians’ came regularly and shared the love of Jesus. They gave DL a Bible and demonstrated a love and faith in God that she wanted. DL read the New Testament bible cover to cover. She prayed and asked God for His help, she talked to her parole officer about her fears and confessed where the two had gone. Still, never mentioning the pawn shop owner or realizing his crime.
When DL got home, she bought her own Bible and a Bible for the family. She also insisted that the family pray at meals (the family still says blessings to this day). She would make a lot more mistakes but God would place other Christian’s in her life to give her hope and guidance. Christian’s reaching out with the love of Jesus and sharing His good news gave a troubled girl hope.
Have you guessed? DL is me, Deborah Lynn! God used my experience to call me into full-time children’s ministry. I know from personal experience that children are vulnerable and satan is looking for naïve children he can destroy. I was one of those kids! Caring Christian’s rescued me from a horrible situation. I can’t imagine what would have happened to me if Christians had not made the effort to come and share His Word. What will happen to this generation if we don’t go and share His good news?
Your gift will make a HUGE difference in the life of a child. Please give to WCK on May 1 for Give NOLA Day. You can set up your gift on-line now for May 1 or give through midnight on May 1. Click here to give a gift of $10 or more. Thank you so much!
