Friday: day

We were back in Managua, the capital.  We spent our day at Casa de Esperanza = House of Hope.  The director, April, and her husband have spent more years as missionaries in Spanish speaking countries than not.  When they arrived in Nicaragua, he was planting a church and she was feeding the kids...like everyone else.  She felt the Lord challenge her to care for the mothers.  If you care for the mothers, you care for the children, too.  Over the years, she started teaching classes, etc. and eventually House of Hope was born.

House of Hope takes in prostitutes; their youngest rescued out of a brother was 4.  Four years old.  April told us that when we were with the kids we'd think, "oh, surely not that one!"  But, yes.  That one, too.  I've read book and watched a documentary, but the real thing was...well, real.  No escaping it.  Many of the girls were sold by their families.  Many of the girls come from a long line of prostitutes.  Too many were pregnant - they leave, earn some money, get pregnant, and come back.

House of Hope has a girls dorm for those rescued off the street or out of a brothel.  Then they have apartments for women to live; they can live alone or with their kids.  Boys can live there until they turn 10.  The girls and boys go to school.  The women have to help cook for the campus, make jewelry and other crafts to sell, and are discipled.  There are Bible studies for women throughout Managua overseen by House of Hope.

I was blessed to spend time praying with the older women that live there, along with my friend Meredith.  We didn't fully understand them, but in some ways it was so freeing to pray to the Lord knowing that He would understand even if we couldn't understand each other.  After lunch, I worked with the girls 13 and up.  A few gals from our team shared their testimonies and then we put on some calm worship music and prayed over the girls and women there.

A few thoughts:

• I sat next to a 14 year old girl while our team spoke for a bit.  She played with my shoe and tried it on.  We have the same size foot.  I forgot for a bit, yet quickly remembered, this seemingly innocent girl has been forced to see and do things that I'll likely never have to.  Such a big and unjust pill to swallow.
• As we prayed for and over these women, I just kept thinking "the Lord has been with you in the dark places."  While I cannot begin to imagine where they have been, what they have done, what has been done to them, the Lord has been there and walked through it with them.  

I read Hebrews 4 today and these verses are so fitting:  14Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Summing up our hours at House of Hope, I would say they are sobering.  It's hard to remain in fantasy land when the faces of girls and women clearly show stolen innocence.  Young girls with eyes that tell you they've seen too much of the world at far too young an age.  Women my age with eyes that tell you they've been used and abused longer than I could comprehend.  And, yet, it is a house of HOPE.  Hope in the things unseen.  Hope of a life of freedom: freedom from prostitution and freedom in Christ Jesus.