Monthly Archives: June 2015

What Goes Around Comes Around

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We have a saying in our culture, “What goes around comes around.” To me, the Bible has a clearer meaning of this in what is known as the Golden Rule: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12, NIV). The story I want to share is one of the most profound examples of this.

One of our James Project of Latin American employees got on the bus in her village one afternoon. Living in an area notorious for its violence and drugs, this woman always used caution. Seeing bad things happen around her was a part of her existence, but with prayer and trust in God, she lived her life in the manner available to her.

After boarding the bus for a trip to Guatemala City, she found herself surrounded by several young men. She saw the signs and knew their violent intentions. They moved her off the bus to a secluded area from the bus route. One man took a knife and slit the front of her shirt open from top to bottom. Overcome with panic, Debra* pleaded with the young men, “Please, just kill me.” She had seen suffering and violent behavior in such situations and concluded she just wanted to go Home to her heavenly Father.

Suddenly, one of the young men went up to her and asked, “Are you Miguel’s* wife?” Unable to speak, Debra shook her head yes. “Don’t touch her,” the man said. “When I went to church, her husband was the only man to show me love and respect. I can’t allow this to happen to his wife when he did so many things for me.” His companions released Debra and left her dazed and shook, but physically unharmed.

Debra didn’t know the impact of her testimony to my heart, for it helped me realize how important our daily interactions are with others. Her husband’s relationship with the young man turned the events in Debra’s situation so that her life was spared. He represented a credible witness of the Lord Jesus Christ to this teenager, not knowing the results of his love.

I want to be this type of witness to the people I relate to each day. The rule is basic. I just need to follow my heart with the love of the Lord in my response to others. I’m learning more about trusting the Lord to guide me in my daily actions so that I “will do to others what I want them to do to me.” I wish I could say that I never mess up, but when that happens, I confess the error, get turned in the right direction, and move forward. What a difference life would be if we made the Golden Rule one of our main goals in life.

Trusting the Lord for Protection

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Two days after receiving the three girls from the early morning call, an article appeared in the paper about an attempted drowning. The children’s father had put the girls in a canoe sometime in the night, telling them that they were going swimming. He rowed out into the lake and started shoving each one into the water. The girls screamed, and a nearby fisherman heard their cries coming to their rescue. Able to get the girls away from the father, he went to the shore with them and contacted the police. They found that the father had seriously injured their mother with a machete, in their house, when she tried to protect the children. I felt sick to my stomach when I heard the story, and the “mother bear” in me took over. We would protect these little ones and love the hurt right out of them. It consoled me that the father landed in jail. The article said that their mother had received medical attention in the hospital but did not indicate her current status.

Later that day, Yonith, the Shadow of His Wings’ social worker, said that the court called and that the mother wanted the children back. We needed to take them to the Villa Nueva court. “We can’t do that,” I told her. “Look at the change in them? They are laughing and look so peaceful being here. Has there been an investigation to find out what happened?”

Yonith replied, “No, they haven’t done that.”

“Call the La Procuraduría General de la Nación (the PGN include human rights people) and talk to them about this. It isn’t right that these children have to go back, and we don’t know if they will be safe or in more danger.”

Yonith made the call and then contacted the court to see if we could wait until the following Monday to bring the children into the children’s court. The court official agreed, and this gave more time for the PGN to investigate. Not thrilled that the children only had a few more days to be in a peaceful environment, I realized we had to work with the court system. We did not have a voice in the matter. We knew we just needed to make the best of the time we had to express love and counsel with the children.

Lord, you are their protector, and I pray that every decision made on their behalf will be the plan you have for them. My heart ached as I fasted and prayed for these three little ones. God wasn’t going to allow them to be put back into danger. He brought them to us, and He would protect them wherever they went. I could accept this and trusted in the Lord. They had a destiny with God, and I declared that in Jesus’ name they would walk out that destiny. During prayer and with my eyes closed, I could see a huge form with arms around all three girls. I knew it was the Lord confirming that He had them in His arms. Maybe they wouldn’t be staying in Shadow of His Wings, but they would be safe with the Lord. I finally felt peace for the first time since I received the middle-of-the-night phone call.

The children were taken back to their mother the following Monday. The PGN investigation indicated that the mother would find a safe place for all of them while the father remained in jail. The mother and girls went to live with a family member in a place not known by the father. When released, he wouldn’t be able to find them. The social worker, who had taken the children to the court, saw that the biological family dearly loved the children, and the mother bore the cuts on her body to prove that she fought for them.

This time of trusting the Lord for these children, even when it didn’t turn out the way I thought it should, made me stronger in the area of trust. The Bible says that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are good. I know in my heart that the Lord continues to protect and guide those girls wherever they are living.

Rescued

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The phone rang, and my hand groped around the bedside table for it. With the phone in hand, I turned on the light, squinting at the clock. Who would call at 3:00 am?

“Halo,” I said in a croaky voice.

“Is this Shadow of His Wings?” a woman asked.

“Yes, it is,” I responded.

“This is the children’s court in Villa Nueva. We have rescued three children who need a safe place to stay,” explained the woman.

Waking up slowly, I decided this had to be a joke. We had never received calls from the court during the night, and I didn’t even know if they had a court in Villa Nueva. “I didn’t realize you folks worked during the night,” I replied, fishing for the jokester to come forth.

“Señora Bishop, we work at all hours, depending on the need. These three children, ages 2, 7, and 8, are in need of a place to stay while there is an investigation. Can we bring them to your orphanage?”

Still not convinced that this woman was serious, I decided it was best to go along with her. “Yes, of course, we will take them. When can we expect them to be here?”

In my mind, I figured we had at least three hours to prepare for them, because it was a three-hour drive from the City. Since this case would require official documents, I could add another couple of hours.

The court secretary committed only to the fact that it would be an early morning arrival, thanked me, and then hung up. I sat in bed wondering who would joke about something like this. If true, it had to be a serious situation for a middle-of-the-night call. I imagined several horrific scenarios that may have prompted it. Unable to sleep the rest of the night, I called our social worker before the sun came up, so she could prepare for the girls. She also thought it might be a joke, but agreed that we needed to treat this circumstance as true.

The police and court official drove through the gate of Shadow of His Wings at nine in the morning. We stood at the door of the office, waiting to meet the rescued girls. My heart felt pain when I saw these dirty, tired girls. The oldest one looked at me with fear. Her face was pale, and her eyes full of tears. The other two seemed to be tranquil, but I knew shock could appear that way.

“Lord protect these little ones, and fill their hearts with peace,” I prayed. I thought of their ages and the stories we’ve heard regarding the other children who had joined our family. However, this was one story I wasn’t prepared for.

Spiritual Warfare

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Many of the children who come to Shadow of His Wings were subjected to witchcraft or Satanism in some form or another. Some participated in rituals, some went to a witch for healing, and many were born into a family of occult participation. I understood that these situations existed and trusted in the Lord when He said He would set the captives free. I wanted to see that happen and sought to understand the weapons of warfare that God gave us for victory.

It is no secret that there is the manifestation of the demonic all over third-world countries. The door for this to happen in the orphanage burst wide open. One of the craziest times happened while I lay on my sick bed. I slept hard after taking medication but sat up straight when a volunteer worker pounded on the bedroom door. “Mama Carroll, come quickly, we need your help.” I flew out of bed, knowing nobody would bother me unless something serious happened.

What I saw when I ran down the concrete steps did not surprise me. I’d seen similar situations here and in other places. My eyes scanned the girls below but zeroed in on one in particular. She glanced at me and then went into action with twisting and screaming on the concrete. This was a big mistake for her! Another girl with empty-looking eyes foamed at the mouth, while she writhed back and forth. These scenes were similar to the biblical description of someone possessed. Lord, I need you to help me know what to do here. Cover us and protect us. You are in control, not the enemy. A third girl jumped over the six-foot wall and disappeared into the foliage below.

I grabbed the hand of the first girl and put her in time-out because of her drama act. I knew that when she looked at me as I came down the stairs that she had faked everything. She imitated what she saw and wanted a piece of the action. Sure enough, she walked up the stairs with me, as normal as could be, realizing she had been busted.

Then I grabbed my phone, a picture of the girl who had jumped the wall, and car keys off my desk. I called the other founder to come to the orphanage, got in my car, and drove up and down the streets looking for this girl. I showed the picture to the guards at the entrance of our area, asking if they had seen her. Their reply of “no” and not seeing any signs of her made the search seem futile, so I went back to the house. Joanne had the vomiting girl back to her senses and calm. Lord, help me find the other girl. She’s not in her right mind. I then noticed girls pointing down below the six-foot wall. The missing girl stood with one of the guards who had seen her picture. I rejoiced all the way around the outside of the house to the dazed and glassy-eyed girl. He looked at me suspiciously but let me take her hand, and I led her back into the house. Within a few minutes, she came out of her trance remembering nothing that happened. I looked at the wall and the slope behind it, and I marveled at how she could jump down, land in the bushes, and not have a scratch on her.

What you have just read is a common occurrence in this country. Being on spiritual alert is a big part of a mission here. The best part of this is God has given us the power and authority to overcome such situations. I found myself in another major learning experience, but instead of being fearful, something rose up within me to face the enemy and protect these children. My bravery came from the fact that I had the Lord Jesus Christ with me every step of the way. All of us at the orphanage were ready to fight for the children, and it was a fight of victory.