Recently a 19 yr old girl from my church and college community went missing. Its been devastating searching for her, and I cannot even report a happy ending (yet). I don't know when she will be found, or what state she will be in- I cannot see her, or know what she is thinking. What I can see is the loss this is for her family and our community. I can see the toll its taking on everyone, worrying and wondering and praying. But it has been an amazing blessing to see everyone show up to support her family, and to search. People have been searching, hiking in dense brush for her day and night. The prayer community is even larger; prayer warriors from all over are lifting this up to our God constantly. There are SO many people who desperately want her home, and who will not stop looking until she is safe.
Its been hard for me on two levels. I want her home and found too- I am praying and searching. But on another level, in 6 days I will be joining a group of kids nobody misses. My boys are younger than 19, and more broken. They come from tragic situations and face the streets. Outside A.P.I. and a few other ministries, not one person cares about them. They are a problem. They are unwanted. Nobody from their families forms search parties to bring them back. Nobody in their villages calls for the government to care (not that the government would EVER care even if that happened). I look at the unending, ever expanding search and network of people who are looking for this one precious girl to come back... and yet thousands upon thousands of kids go missing every day. Nobody notices, and life moves on.
What would the world look like if when every child went missing, we put out this kind of effort? What if we never stopped until they were safe? What if we really prayed (like my community is praying right now) for each of those kids? What if race didn't matter, and we honestly treated them all the same? My boys were once in families like this girl- maybe loved maybe not, but they belonged somewhere. There is a saying, it takes a village to raise a child. Therefore, it takes a village to loose/ kill one (taken from When Invisible Children Sing).
Here is the great news- God cares. We have a Father who NEVER stops searching, trying to bring back His children (no matter how old they are). He never looses them, or forgets them. He never ceases trying to save them, and bring them to safety. He will never stop until this beautiful girl in my church is found, just like He will never stop until my boys are safe. Because He cares for all His children :)
Its been hard for me on two levels. I want her home and found too- I am praying and searching. But on another level, in 6 days I will be joining a group of kids nobody misses. My boys are younger than 19, and more broken. They come from tragic situations and face the streets. Outside A.P.I. and a few other ministries, not one person cares about them. They are a problem. They are unwanted. Nobody from their families forms search parties to bring them back. Nobody in their villages calls for the government to care (not that the government would EVER care even if that happened). I look at the unending, ever expanding search and network of people who are looking for this one precious girl to come back... and yet thousands upon thousands of kids go missing every day. Nobody notices, and life moves on.
What would the world look like if when every child went missing, we put out this kind of effort? What if we never stopped until they were safe? What if we really prayed (like my community is praying right now) for each of those kids? What if race didn't matter, and we honestly treated them all the same? My boys were once in families like this girl- maybe loved maybe not, but they belonged somewhere. There is a saying, it takes a village to raise a child. Therefore, it takes a village to loose/ kill one (taken from When Invisible Children Sing).
Here is the great news- God cares. We have a Father who NEVER stops searching, trying to bring back His children (no matter how old they are). He never looses them, or forgets them. He never ceases trying to save them, and bring them to safety. He will never stop until this beautiful girl in my church is found, just like He will never stop until my boys are safe. Because He cares for all His children :)
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