A Personal Narrative

I'm taking a college level course at Bethel. The class is written communications and my teacher asked us to write a personal narrative and describe a certain moment or situation that describes best who you are. Immediately I thought to write about my time in Mexico. For any curious minds, here it is :)

Today is my first Father’s Day away from home. As I’m away from my father on this Father’s Day though, it just so happens that the place I am living in is quite literally the land of the fatherLESS. My journey to this land began about a year ago on a night that I won’t soon forget. It was the night that God broke my heart for what breaks His. I am now broken for the orphan child, called to pursue them on behalf of Jesus Christ; called to be Christ’s hands in maintaining their cause, meeting their needs, and rescuing them...until His Kingdom come.

            It all started during the summer of 2009. I was on a week long mission trip with my church in Monterrey, Mexico.  It was a Sunday, and it was our first day going to one of the orphanages. It was a sunny and humid day, during Mexico’s hottest month. As sweat was dripping down my face, I stepped off of the bus and on to the orphanage’s ground. I then looked up to see a beautiful eleven year old girl smiling so big you’d think she had been waiting her entire life for ME to come and visit her. I tried so hard to remember all the spanish that I had been learning for two years in a classroom back in the States, but all that could come out of my mouth in that moment was, “Hola! Me llamo es Cassie!” (Hi, my name is Cassie). She smiled back, wrapped her arms around me, and said, “Me llamo Ady!”. Words were simply overrated thoughout that week. My spanish was lousy, and she knew no english, so we communicated only through laughter and smiles.

            By the end of the week, I knew exactly why God had sent me to Mexico with my church. He wanted to use ME to be a friend to Ady and show her Christ’s undying love for her. The entire week, I could feel the Holy Spirit pursuing her through me, because when my strength and energy was gone, I still wanted to love on Ady and give her nothing but my all. So you can imagine how difficult it was to say goodbye to this eleven year old orphan girl at the end of the week...for she had become a best friend!

            But that was the night that the Lord set my heart on fire for the cause of the orphan child. A righteous anger was beginning to arise within me. I knew I could not just go back home to my comfortable home and act like nothing ever happened. I wanted to get involved with this ministry. I wanted to advance God’s Kingdom and do work with this ministry that solely existed to care for the orphans in Monterrey. I remember the evening so clearly. A storm was rolling through the mountains.  I went outside and sat down in it and for one moment, I was aware of the fact that the same thing was going on inside of me. Every thing inside of me was shuffling around and I knew things would change but as Sue Monk Kidd so wisely said, "Patterns begin to crumble. It feels to us like a collapsing of all that is, but it's a holy quaking." I looked into the dark clouds and lightning and took a deep breath.  "We can endure, transcend, and transform the storminess when we see the meaning and mystery of it” (Monk). I knew God was calling me to serve the orphans more long term, but I had no idea as to how that was going to happen. I had no idea what my next step would be. I had to just sit back and trust and wait…trust that our God would lead me to the right ministry opportunity at just the right time. The waiting was hard, but I knew God was transforming me. I knew there was no short cut, nor did I want one. I committed to leaning into his "transformation" wholeheartedly and with patience. Shortly thereafter though, I was offered and internship position with this very ministry that I served with during the summer of 2009.

            That’s why I find myself sitting here today, on this beautiful Father’s Day, not with my father, but with hundreds of children without fathers. For this month of June, I am interning with this ministry, Back2Back. Every day I come in to contact with anywhere between 15-50 orphans because one year ago, our Lord broke my heart for what breaks His and He is now using me, just an average servant with a willing heart, to fulfill some of His promises to the orphan. But today, it’s a little more bittersweet, celebrating Father’s Day with orphans. But today we are also all reminded again, who our eternal Father is. And how much He really loves us all. Today we are not reminded only of what sin has done, in leaving so many children without a home or parents. No, the story is never over there with our God. Today we are also reminded of the precious gift of our Father’s son that God gave us so that one day, we can all celebrate, together, in our eternal Father. No more pain. No more heartache. No more broken families. No more orphans.

            I believe that He wants to use you in pursuing the orphans as well. We are compelled by action by the many promises God has made to the orphans in Scripture. God promises to VINDICATE them, RESCUE them, DELIVER them, HEAR them, LIFT them up, be their FATHER, MEET their needs, maintain their cause...God intends to fulfill many of these promises through us, His church.

            Please pray with me for the fatherless children today. Pray that they find peace and love in Christ’s arms. Pray that they can break free from chains and strong holds that have tied them down. Pray that God delivers them and leads them out of their oppression. Pray that by the power of Christ, the Enemy’s hold on them will break loose.

            “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress...” (New International Version, James 1:27).

            Dios promete ser su padre. God promises to be their Father.

This is Ady, the girl God used to spark the flame in my heart for His orphaned children.