Writing to you all from sunny San Diego may not seem to give me much room to speak about cold spells. However, contrary to popular belief, sunny SoCal does get cold sometimes! In fact, this past weekend was one of those times! We had a cold spell blow in with record lows, and I must tell you that I was COLD!!
Not only did I experience these record lows this past weekend, I was originally born and raised in the very COLD state of Maine… where negative 20 degrees was not unlikely to experience in the middle of the heart of Maine’s winter! Now with global warming that may have changed since my time there, but I have some very stark memories of very cold spells coming through! I remember the hopelessness that sometimes seemed insurmountable as a cold spell would close in around me when I was intentionally locked outside by an abusive biological mother for hours on end in a cold Maine winter as a child! I could not escape the cold and it really seemed to compound upon the already quite negative circumstances in which I found myself in the abusive home.
One final situation that gives me some very valid experience with cold spells; after graduating college with a large loan debt yet wanting to be on the mission field, I found myself left instead living out of my car for 9 months through a cold Pennsylvania winter! There were definitely some cold spells in that time that I would never want to repeat!
So whats all this talk about cold spells for? That is a very good question!!
As this recent cold spell came through here in San Diego, God really drew my heart and mind to the millions and millions of children who are orphaned and/or living in the streets throughout Latin America all year round; even the cold winters. My heart goes out to the millions of children throughout Latin America who have often experienced living through cold spells. Though I was locked outside in the cold for hours at a time, at some point I would be allowed to enter the trailer where it was a bit warmer. Most of the orphaned children and street children of Latin America will not have a trailer to enter. For some reason being cold really adds insult to injury, and can rob people of hope. Many of these kids dont even have blankets or something soft to curl up on to fall asleep.
Abogar International Ministries is anticipatory and excited for the time when we will be able to not only provide blankets and beds, but Christian home environments to these children. While it will take time to learn all the legalities involved, as well as to raise up the workers and resources, we find ourselves extremely hopeful that we will grow and increase in ministry quicker than we could imagine. We are looking forward to being able not only to provide the warmth and love of Christ to these children, but also the warmth, stability, and security of a home to these children as well. Dream with us and consider how you can help us to get to the place where we take kids from cold spells to warm Christian homes! Lets help these children!
When you feel cold, please think of these kids, and ask yourself how you too can be involved. As you sit by the fire place, or in a warmly heated apartment or home, or as you curl up under your warm blankets please think about these children and say a prayer for them. More than a prayer, do some research on how you can help these children to be warmed by blankets, homes, and the love of Christ. Lets work hard to take these children from living off the streets and in cold spells, to knowing the beauty of beds, blankets, and warm Christian homes!
