It is a marathon not a sprint, a process not a one-time prayer, a home not a program and it is all much harder than I thought.
Opening two Courage Houses – one in Northern California and one in Tanzania, Africa has been anything but easy. Finding property, getting government licensing, going through inspections, hiring staff, training staff, educating the public, networking with required agencies, raising funds, maintaining funds, meeting regulations, completing tax returns and audits, attending meetings, meetings and more meetings… has all been “hard,” but it has been worth it. And more difficult than any of that has been watching the challenging journey of healing our young girls at Courage House go through. It has forced me to my knees in prayer trying to find the good. I don’t’ want to sugar coat all that is going on at Courage House, so I wanted to share some of what we have seen with you. You are our prayer partners, our community, our supporters, our donors, our volunteers and the reason we are able to do what we do to help these precious kids.
It is hard watching a child remember horrific things that her mind graciously buried deep within her brain and at the same time call it good because that is the definition of healing – remembering and processing pain. It is hard watching a child hit a wall or cut herself because a recalled memory brings so much emotional pain that she would rather feel a physical one and at the same time call that good because for the first time in years she is actually feeling instead of numbing out. Because of this, she now has a better chance of feeling the love that is now surrounding her. It is hard to listen to a child pray, “God, why did you let this happen to me?” knowing you struggle with the same question, but at the same time call it good because she chooses to pray and is still hoping to discover a good God. It is hard to watch a child’s body relive memories of rape and torture that no human being should have to endure and at the same time call it good because now she can begin to walk out of the darkness of her past into the light of her future. It is hard to watch a child choose to walk out the door of Courage House and leave the beautiful home created especially for her because she has decided that life on the street is easier than the journey to healing and still call it good when the police pick her up because you know she is safe.
Hard and good. I have reconciled the two. It is now what I call a normal, good day. The journey for the girls at Courage House is often hard—harder than you and I can imagine—but in so many ways it is good. Healing is happening. Lives are changing. Hope is being restored. To find out more about how you can continue to help, please visit our Get Involved page. Your prayers and monthly financial support are greatly needed and appreciated.