A safe place to call home

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7

Chantal spent her early years feeling abandoned and unwanted. Left by her mother, she grew up under the care of an aunt. “For a long time I thought that my aunt was my mother, until she had to go to get married and my real mother came to live with me,” Chantal explains.

Her mother had since given birth to three other children. “She used to leave me in the house with a young baby and no food. My mother loved alcohol. She used to go drink when we did not even have a matchbox in our house,” Chantal explains.

Chantal’s mother heard about a church-based Compassion project and took Chantal to be registered. “After registration, we got soap and food at home, and I started going to school like other children. But my mother kept having more children, which meant that I had to stay home to take care of them instead of going to school,” says Chantal.

Chantal’s mother would often come home drunk and began picking fights with her. One night, her mother told Chantal to leave home. That night she slept in an avocado tree next to her home. The project staff learned about Chantal’s situation and thanks to Compassion’s RESPOND fund, found Chantal a home where she would be safe. This intervention is the mercy that Matthew 5:7 speaks about, it goes beyond having pity for someone in a difficult situation, but instead seeks to meet their needs.

Through the project, Chantal accepted Christ. She now trusts in God’s love that never changes, “I understood that everything happened for a reason, and I decided to forgive my mother and believe in God’s good plan for my life,” says Chantal.

Prayer:

Heavenly father, we thank you that Chantal is now in a place of safety. We pray for all children in vulnerable situations, that you will draw people to them that will show them your love and mercy. Amen.