Place yourself in these shoes for a moment...
You are a 7yr old scared and hurt child. Abused by your own family members.The people who you have trusted to take care of you each day have neglected you. One day you are taken away from your home. A home that should have been a refuge, a safe loving place of shelter. But instead, it was an atmosphere of fear, pain, hurt and uncertainty.
You are taken to a beautiful facility called Orangewood. A community of loving staff. Houses, schools, playgrounds, and many other children younger than you and older than you.Beautiful flowers and trees everywhere you look. Uncertain if/when you will ever be able to return back home and realizing that you are going to have to adapt to a new home.
Thoughts running through your mind...
"Will i ever find someone who loves me? Someone who will take care of me and not hurt me and someone who will protect me? Will i be forgotten here? Will i be adopted soon? How long will i have to wait until i am back in my own family again? Is this MY fault this happened? Do i have worth and value? I am hurt, i need a healing touch!"
Orangewood Children and Family Center in Orange is another facility that is under the umbrella of Pacific Youth Ministries. I have only visited there a few times to help with the Wed Bible study with Chaplain Steve Matten. I have enjoyed those visits. I am in the process of doing the paperwork /Livescan fingerprinting needed to minister there regularly! Here are some facts/statistics on Orangewood:
**It is a 24 hour emergency shelter care facility operated and owned by the County of Orange Social Services Agency. It opened its doors in 1985 (same year Pacific Youth became a non-profit org ministry)**
Age Range: 8% Under 1year
27% 1-5 yr old
25% 6-12yr old
40% 13+ yr old
Number of Admissions: 1,091 children
Average Length of care: 24 days. (with a range of a few hrs to a few months. Although i know a teenage boy who has been waiting to find a loving home for a year)
Admissions by ethnicity: 58 % Hispanic, 27% Caucasian, 7% African-American,5% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander & 2% Other.
Reason for Referral: 46% Neglect/lack of care (heart breaking to me)
21% Abandoned ; unable or unavailable to provide care (heart breaking)
12% Physical abuse
5% Emotional Abuse (i bet this % is higher, but harder to prove evidence of)
5% Sexual Abuse
11% Other
Children get released to: 38% Relative/Family friend
33% Foster parent
12% Parent
7% Group Home
6% Temporary shelter home
4% Other-hopsital, Juvenile Hall,or other county or state social agency
Pacific Youth Correctional Ministries conducts Sunday and Wed church/Bible study services for the children. I am blessed to be a part of loving on these children who so desperately NEED it.
Hebrews 13:5-6 "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence,
'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.What can mere mortals do to me?”
Lets be fighting in prayer for these children who are helpless and in this situation. They did not choose to be there. Lets also fight in prayer for their parent/families/relatives who equally need God's love and healing. I pray these children find safe, caring, loving new homes and are raised in God's truth! Pray against ABUSE. It is NEVER OK. I HAVE SUFFERED THROUGH DIFFERENT ABUSES IN MY LIFETIME & I KNOW THE TRAUMA, PAIN, GUILT, & SHAME IT CAN BRING. ONLY GOD CAN HEAL THIS WITH HIS MIRACULOUS LOVE.
May we all count our blessings today. Tell your loved ones you LOVE them. Be thankful. Pray for them. Serve them. Every GOOD and PERFECT gift comes from God.
Para-Chaplain Michelle <3
You go girl!!! So inspired by the passion and dedication God gifted you with!!!
ReplyDelete-Nicole Ransom
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