As we were preparing some meetings with our team in Tanzania, God clearly spoke, saying, “Go bring Grace home.” Grace was a sixteen-year-old girl that was brought to our attention back in January. As a true orphan, having lost both parents at a very young age, Grace became a victim of sex trafficking early on in life. For months she had been missing, and we continued to pray while our team struggled to locate her.
As I sat on a plane, God’s voice was so clear. It was simple. Go find her. Bring her home. It’s almost laughable to think that we could just “find” a missing child in Tanzania. There really isn’t an effective system in place to do such a thing. But God wanted this child to be rescued. And our team at Courage House truly does have the “nothing is impossible” complex. So we gathered together and prayed. While a few outside voices told us that we were crazy to think we could drive around the bush in Africa and find a missing child, we were confident. Somehow, someway, God was going to bring this child home.
We got in our faithful truck and began to drive. We decided to start in her village of origin. We hit the dirt roads, avoiding potholes, goats and chickens, and eventually arrived in a typical African village. We rolled down our window and just began asking the local people if they knew a young girl named Grace. After a long while we were directed to her grandmother’s home. As we drove up, the house was boarded up and looked abandoned. But we didn’t skip a beat. We continued to drive and began asking where we could find another relative. Again, after a long while we were directed towards an older sister’s home. As we drove up we began to pray. “God, you know where Grace is. Please help us find her.” As our car approached the home, my heart began to leap. We saw a young girl sitting outside. “Could it be, God? Is it her?” From a distance, we could see a body jump up. We drove a little faster and as we approached, tears began to pour. Grace was standing right before us. She had been found. She grabbed us and began to weep, “You found me! You found me!” As we embraced we asked her, “Grace, where have you been? When did you get back to the village?” Her response astounded us. “I’ve been gone for months, but just this morning I felt like I was supposed to come back here, to my sister’s. I didn’t know why, but I arrived early this morning.”
Arrangements were quickly made, and Grace was coming home. Jesus had found her. He truly is the God who sees. He is the God who leaves the ninety-nine to chase after the one. Grace is now home, and she is safe. She is getting an education and can sleep in her own bed at night.
God didn’t just see Grace. We now have eight beautiful girls who have a home here at Courage House Tanzania. This past month, Courage House filled up and the girls are quickly developing a sisterly bond. They are creating family traditions. They are learning what true love looks like. We are so thankful that God sees them. We are thankful that all of you see them and care. It truly is transforming the destiny of many.
We are so excited as Courage House Tanzania is now FULL!