Shaken out of our boxes.....
The past few weeks, we have had some unique experiences.
Almost 2 weeks ago, my mom came to visit and we were getting ready to spend the morning downtown at Art Prize. (It's an art competition with all sorts of mediums and about 1500 entries from all over the world. First prize gets $200,000. It's so fun!) My mom and the kids were getting into the van, while I was grabbing the last few things. I asked Natalie to go into the garage and get the stroller. (We have a detached garage.) She came in screaming that we need to call the police because there was someone on the floor. I couldn't quite comprehend what she was saying. Once my mind understood, I called everyone in and locked the door. My mom and I went outside very quietly with a bat and peeked into the garage. We saw a pair of legs. We went back inside and locked the door again and called 911. It was about 15 minutes before someone came.
It ended up being a very drunk lady. The policeman was so tender and kind. In our experiences here, I have come across some very cynical and hard policemen. But I was so thankful to watch him put his arm on her back and take his time putting her in the car. He called an ambulance to have her checked out because the whites of her eyes were yellow. It turns out that she is renting the garage next door with 2 other men and she got the wrong one that night.
We are so thankful that the lady wasn't dead. My mom and I really thought she was. Natalie screamed when she went in there and I screamed when I called people in and she didn't move. It was also a blessing that she was a lady, not a man and that she didn't wake up when Natalie went in. That would have been even scarier for Natalie.
We still see her around. Our neighbor is bad news. The police are here every few months. He spends his days drinking and there are always people coming in and out of the place. The 2 men that live in the garage often come stumbling home even during the day. We love our neighborhood and have had nothing happen to make us scared. But with the people in the garage we have felt very unsettled. We are locking all the time even when we are home and I watch the kids differently when they are outside.
As I write this, I am so convicted that we need to do more to help our neighbor and the garage dwellers not only physically, but spiritually as well. It's so tempting to just shut it out....
Last night, we came home from church and Josh was one of the last to come in. He came in and told me that there was a little naked child outside. So I ran outside and there was a sweet little girl with no clothes on and freezing in the dark. As I put my arms around her shoulders she told me that her mom didn't love her anymore. It made me cry, but I tried so hard not to show it. I took her upstairs to the girl's room to find some clothes for her. As I was dressing her, she told me that if she goes home her mom will beat her until she bleeds. After she was warm, we gave her a snack and drink, we cuddled her up on the couch and put a movie on the kindle for her to watch with Grace.
We were going to let her sit for 20 minutes before I called 911. My instinct was to shelter her, keep her safe and comfort her. I was thinking, "Really, what is 20 minutes in the big picture?" Mine and Ken's emotions were running a little high, so I called my dear friend to chat it out for 2 minutes. She told me I had to call 911 right away. She was right. The police drove up before I was even off the phone with 911. They had been looking for her.
The policeman was talking with her and telling her that it was time to go home and that he will talk to her parents and make everything OK. He was making small talk so that she would trust him. I cried and cried after they left. I cried for that little girl and for all of those kids who live with such fears.
The officer came back 20 minutes later to return the clothes. He explained that this was her 12th foster home and that it is a good one. She has two siblings there who are happy and healthy. There were also 15 people at the home who were so worried and grieving. This little 7 year old has been acting out because her birth mom told her that she would get her back if her foster parents did bad things to her. She just wants to go back to her mom. He knew I was worried and reassured me that he has been working these kinds of things for a long time and if he was even a wee bit concerned that he would have called CAS. So on one hand I was so thrilled that she is being well taken care of. But on the other side, she needs help to sort her life out. She is on a bad road because of her circumstances. She is too little to handle it all.
This morning, we were doing school in the dining room. We have a set of windows that look at the neighbors house and the front one looks onto their driveway. There had been a lady pacing back and forth and crying for awhile. We are learning to figure out when to keep our distance and when to see if someone needs help. It's a hard line to find. She finally sat down on driveway and just cried. I went out there (with Ken watching). I asked if she needed help and she said she needed prayer. I was relieved. It's something I could do. So I sat with her on the driveway and she held my hands and she started to pray to God. I was kind of taken aback. I didn't expect that. When she finished, I was going to start to pray for her, but she stopped me and told me that I had to touch the grass and pray to mother earth. I told her that I just couldn't do it. I could only pray to God in heaven. He was the one who made the earth and is the Lord of all things. She forgot her problems and tried to convince me that mother earth and the Father in heaven came together as man and woman to create the earth. I tried to talk to her about it, but there was no reasoning. She wasn't in a good state of mind and was really coming into my personal space. The Lord gave me peace, but it was a little scary. I tried to change the subject and tried to chat about her children and family. But she felt it was her obligation on earth to tell people about God the Father and mother earth. She was actually quite eloquent as she talked. Finally, someone came to pick her up. I couldn't tell whether she had been drinking, is on drugs or had mental issues.I am thinking it was drugs just by the look in her eyes. As I held her hands for that 10 minutes I was struck how lost she is and I longed for her to know Christ.
Honestly, I would prefer not to have had these experiences. They are all unsettling in different ways. They shake us out of our little box. Our box is so comfy. But yet they are being used for good in our lives. My kids have been close in all of these times and they have seen in a different way, our need and the world's need for a Savior. I don't know the words to explain that last sentence differently. We have been given opportunities to show love to people in need. It has also shown my kids how blessed they are to be placed in a home that is far from perfect, but that is loving, secure and built on Christ and His Word.
Lord help us to stay out of our boxes and live boldly and courageously for You in any situation we are put in....
Almost 2 weeks ago, my mom came to visit and we were getting ready to spend the morning downtown at Art Prize. (It's an art competition with all sorts of mediums and about 1500 entries from all over the world. First prize gets $200,000. It's so fun!) My mom and the kids were getting into the van, while I was grabbing the last few things. I asked Natalie to go into the garage and get the stroller. (We have a detached garage.) She came in screaming that we need to call the police because there was someone on the floor. I couldn't quite comprehend what she was saying. Once my mind understood, I called everyone in and locked the door. My mom and I went outside very quietly with a bat and peeked into the garage. We saw a pair of legs. We went back inside and locked the door again and called 911. It was about 15 minutes before someone came.
It ended up being a very drunk lady. The policeman was so tender and kind. In our experiences here, I have come across some very cynical and hard policemen. But I was so thankful to watch him put his arm on her back and take his time putting her in the car. He called an ambulance to have her checked out because the whites of her eyes were yellow. It turns out that she is renting the garage next door with 2 other men and she got the wrong one that night.
We are so thankful that the lady wasn't dead. My mom and I really thought she was. Natalie screamed when she went in there and I screamed when I called people in and she didn't move. It was also a blessing that she was a lady, not a man and that she didn't wake up when Natalie went in. That would have been even scarier for Natalie.
We still see her around. Our neighbor is bad news. The police are here every few months. He spends his days drinking and there are always people coming in and out of the place. The 2 men that live in the garage often come stumbling home even during the day. We love our neighborhood and have had nothing happen to make us scared. But with the people in the garage we have felt very unsettled. We are locking all the time even when we are home and I watch the kids differently when they are outside.
As I write this, I am so convicted that we need to do more to help our neighbor and the garage dwellers not only physically, but spiritually as well. It's so tempting to just shut it out....
Last night, we came home from church and Josh was one of the last to come in. He came in and told me that there was a little naked child outside. So I ran outside and there was a sweet little girl with no clothes on and freezing in the dark. As I put my arms around her shoulders she told me that her mom didn't love her anymore. It made me cry, but I tried so hard not to show it. I took her upstairs to the girl's room to find some clothes for her. As I was dressing her, she told me that if she goes home her mom will beat her until she bleeds. After she was warm, we gave her a snack and drink, we cuddled her up on the couch and put a movie on the kindle for her to watch with Grace.
We were going to let her sit for 20 minutes before I called 911. My instinct was to shelter her, keep her safe and comfort her. I was thinking, "Really, what is 20 minutes in the big picture?" Mine and Ken's emotions were running a little high, so I called my dear friend to chat it out for 2 minutes. She told me I had to call 911 right away. She was right. The police drove up before I was even off the phone with 911. They had been looking for her.
The policeman was talking with her and telling her that it was time to go home and that he will talk to her parents and make everything OK. He was making small talk so that she would trust him. I cried and cried after they left. I cried for that little girl and for all of those kids who live with such fears.
The officer came back 20 minutes later to return the clothes. He explained that this was her 12th foster home and that it is a good one. She has two siblings there who are happy and healthy. There were also 15 people at the home who were so worried and grieving. This little 7 year old has been acting out because her birth mom told her that she would get her back if her foster parents did bad things to her. She just wants to go back to her mom. He knew I was worried and reassured me that he has been working these kinds of things for a long time and if he was even a wee bit concerned that he would have called CAS. So on one hand I was so thrilled that she is being well taken care of. But on the other side, she needs help to sort her life out. She is on a bad road because of her circumstances. She is too little to handle it all.
This morning, we were doing school in the dining room. We have a set of windows that look at the neighbors house and the front one looks onto their driveway. There had been a lady pacing back and forth and crying for awhile. We are learning to figure out when to keep our distance and when to see if someone needs help. It's a hard line to find. She finally sat down on driveway and just cried. I went out there (with Ken watching). I asked if she needed help and she said she needed prayer. I was relieved. It's something I could do. So I sat with her on the driveway and she held my hands and she started to pray to God. I was kind of taken aback. I didn't expect that. When she finished, I was going to start to pray for her, but she stopped me and told me that I had to touch the grass and pray to mother earth. I told her that I just couldn't do it. I could only pray to God in heaven. He was the one who made the earth and is the Lord of all things. She forgot her problems and tried to convince me that mother earth and the Father in heaven came together as man and woman to create the earth. I tried to talk to her about it, but there was no reasoning. She wasn't in a good state of mind and was really coming into my personal space. The Lord gave me peace, but it was a little scary. I tried to change the subject and tried to chat about her children and family. But she felt it was her obligation on earth to tell people about God the Father and mother earth. She was actually quite eloquent as she talked. Finally, someone came to pick her up. I couldn't tell whether she had been drinking, is on drugs or had mental issues.I am thinking it was drugs just by the look in her eyes. As I held her hands for that 10 minutes I was struck how lost she is and I longed for her to know Christ.
Honestly, I would prefer not to have had these experiences. They are all unsettling in different ways. They shake us out of our little box. Our box is so comfy. But yet they are being used for good in our lives. My kids have been close in all of these times and they have seen in a different way, our need and the world's need for a Savior. I don't know the words to explain that last sentence differently. We have been given opportunities to show love to people in need. It has also shown my kids how blessed they are to be placed in a home that is far from perfect, but that is loving, secure and built on Christ and His Word.
Lord help us to stay out of our boxes and live boldly and courageously for You in any situation we are put in....
Thanks for sharing! Life lessons for all of us in your experiences. May God continue to give you wisdom as you encounter these unique situations.
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