Category Archives: Children in Shadow of His Wings Orphanage

Lydia’s Story

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Working closely with the girls at Shadow of His Wings and hearing their horror stories made it difficult to find peace. I feel surrounded by pain.

 

A 13-year-old, Lydia, suffered abuses that no little girl should endure. Damaged and not having a normal bowel movement caused torment. The doctor said she required surgery. We made plans for that to happen, and I would be by her side.

 

The report on Lydia didn’t say who abused her. She did say the pastor was one of them. That tore into me that these children could not trust a person who claimed to be a man of God.  There didn’t seem to be many safe places for these children. This is one of the reasons we started Shadow as a refuge for them.

 

The surgery went well, and I stayed with Lydia in the hospital until the next night. House parents from the Home came to relieve me for the night. The day after this, Lydia’s doctor released her. Joanne and I made plans for her to stay with me while she healed. This hyper child needed reminding to stay still for healing. Thank the Lord for TV.

 

One night, Lydia shared a concern. “Mama Carroll, I want to stay here in Shadow, but I’m worried about my sister.”

 

“What do you think might happen to her?”

 

“I’m afraid the same thing that happened to me will happen to her, and there won’t be anybody to help her.”

 Her words were cries for help. “Lydia, we need to be in prayer for her, and I will talk to our social worker to see what they can do to help her.”

 

Lydia loved taking a shower with warm water. Most Guatemalans have cold water because they couldn’t afford a showerhead that warms the water. After she finished, I took my turn only to find out that she had used all the water. Oh well, I would wait. What little enjoyment she has in life is important.

 

Gerber and Joanne came for a visit and brought Lydia her homework. She completed everything quickly. As we visited, she surprised me by saying she wanted to be a forensic doctor.

 

“Oh my chica mia. Why are you thinking about going into forensics?”

 

“I heard the doctors talking about justice when someone had been seriously injured or killed. I found it interesting. I would like to see justice for what was done to me and others.”

 

She could set aside all the pain and abuse to think of a future to help others.

 

” I want that too, Lydia. Maybe the Lord put that desire in your heart. We can surely pray about it.”  

 

Lydia’s walking improved with only a slight leaning toward the side with the stitches, so I took her back to the Home. I knew a time would come when the court would send her somewhere else. I continued to pray for the Lord to provide a refuge for her wherever she went. Maybe one day we could take a girl to the forensic doctor, and it would be Dr. Lydia.

Caty’s Refuge Chapter 8

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Caty’s Refuge Chapter 8

A New Family

Joanne and I had our antennas up for an environment to help with Caty’s emotional and mental development. Six years after she joined the Shadow family, I emailed our Guatemalan missionaries asking for options The next day, we received a call from a missionary couple who listened to Caty’s history and determined they could minister to her. They even considered adopting her into their family of two small children. Both wanted to fully invest themselves in her to help her recovery from the tragic past. After much discussion, meetings, and referrals, we released her into their custody. Caty, now 18, no longer belonged under the regulations of the children’s court. The transfer would move quickly. 

     Caty’s first meeting with the family took my breath away. We agreed to join them in Guatemala City for the final test, Caty’s reaction to them. When the couple and baby entered the room, Caty focused on the child and softly kissed the top of her head, did her giggle act, and ducked her head. She leaned up against the mother and looked ready to go. 

     “Caty, would you like to live with this family?” I said.

     With her mouth partway open, she licked her lips and moved closer to the mother.

     “I think that is a yes,” I said. “Okay, Caty, you won’t go this time because we need to pack your clothes and personal items. They will come and get you when everything is ready.” Her lips turned down when we left, and she did her slow plod behind me.

     We decided to give Caty all new clothes to help ease that burden on the family. I took her to the storeroom and pulled out a suitcase. 

     “You need some new tennis shoes. Pick out a pair from these.”

     Caty grabbed some and threw them into the suitcase. 

     “No, chic mia, try them on first.”

     She looked over the tops and picked out the most colorful ones. Her tee-hees filled the room while she tried on her selection. To her, Christmas had come. We returned to the casita with a full bag, where her inquisitive sisters waited. Caty seized the moment and explained to them about everything in her luggage.

     “Mira zapatos mios.” On she went for each item. I had never seen her say so much at one time and regretted we didn’t have it on video. 

      “We need to give her a going away party, “ Joanne said.

     Plans went into action, and the reality that she would leave walloped me. I felt reluctant to release her, but the time had come for the experience of a fuller life, and Caty deserved a grand farewell. 

     The older girls and house mothers set up the party on the basketball court. Caty’s shiny eyes and titters reflected how special she felt. The hugs and goodbyes with the house parents and children followed with many tears. Still, Caty continued to smile and be giddy, ready for her new venture. 

     Close communication followed with updates on Caty’s adjustment. The honeymoon period fell flat within a few weeks, and Caty resisted anything they encouraged. She wanted to sit on a bench and not move for the whole day and didn’t respond to anybody. Even the baby could not bring her around. 

     Initially, Caty told them more stories of her gory past. Donna showed Caty some pictures, and Caty pointed to one and called her Daniela. She described how Daniela killed her baby, and blood covered everything. Another time, Caty said a girl named Tabitha had been burned with hot water. This was the first time she called people from her past by names. Then Caty escaped into her hiding place and shut out everything else. The task became more complicated than the couple imagined, and even though their hearts wanted to minister to her, they could not do it. 

     What triggered Caty into past memories? Did she experience pain in missing her Shadow family? We listened to the family’s desperation and resolved Caty needed to return to Shadow. 

     Weeks later, another plan developed for Caty to live with an older single teacher. Caty had a close relationship with Tia Myra, and it seemed an excellent opportunity for her to learn life skills—one-on-one. They would live in Monjas so Caty could be around the people she loved. The Project helped with the expenses, and the arrangement would be an extension of the orphanage to help with Caty’s particular needs. Within weeks, the woman confessed she could not continue. We crossed that one off the list and moved Caty back to the Home. 

Community Ministry

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The vision for James Project of Latin America included having the children involved in community ministry. They had been on the receiving end of ministry and needed to understand the importance of making a difference in the lives of others. I didn’t know how the kids would feel ministering to others nor how the community would respond to them, but we were about to find out.

Our church helped start a church in La Rinconada, a little town that sits halfway up a mountain from Monjas. This aldea (town) consisted of a few homes and had the reputation for witchcraft activity. We heard stories of people in Monjas hiring a witch from this area to pray for healing for themselves or a family member. Others hired witches to put curses on an enemy. Many people thought there needed to be a church, but because of fear, the idea never took root. Pastor Josue* and his wife were members of our church and felt the Lord’s leading to establish the first church in this area. We desired to assist and encourage them.

Our pastor, people from Shadow, and many church members planned an event that fitted well under the title “Occupy.” Many times in the Bible God spoke to the people to occupy a specific area in His Name. The story of the Israelites going into the Promised Land took place according to God’s command to those people. The little metal building being used for the church needed declaration over it as God’s church. We determined to come against the enemy, who had terrorized that area for generations. Although it was a dangerous town, we knew that if God had called us to this place, He would provide protection for all of us. That thought quieted the concerns I had, but I resolved that we would be cautious and use the wisdom God gave us.

The girls decorated Shadow’s school bus, and armed with Bibles, kids, house parents, and music blaring, we went to La Rinconada. As I drove my car up the winding road, I shouted to the girls in the car, “Look at that!” I pointed up to the sky. We saw huge rays coming down from around the clouds forming a portal. Listening to the excited murmurs, I strongly felt God’s love and favor over us.

Scan 5The girls had been prepped in what to do, and, upon our arrival, they all took their stations. Some of the older girls stayed outside to encourage the curious to come inside for the service. Our men stood as guards in various places around them. Some of the other girls ushered people to a chair. Praise and worship soon echoed over the mountain, drawing a larger crowd of people to see what was causing so much commotion. Shouts of invitation went out to them to join us inside for a time with the Lord. Soon all of the plastic chairs were filled and pushed tightly together, leaving little of the concrete floor uncovered. The girls ministered in prayer and gave words of encouragement to the townspeople who went to the altar. I loved watching the kids feeding into the lives of others.

After the service, our cars caravanned behind the bus, while we prayed for the new church and the community. A selection of teens from church carried a torch jogging in front of the bus[ Did they job in front of the bus?? You need to say.]. After a certain distance, they passed the torch off to another group of teens, and continued in this manner until we all reached our home church in Monjas. In our hands, hanging out of the windows, many of us had Ziploc bags filled with oil. We anointed the area with the oil as we drove, representing the presence of the Holy Spirit. The singing, shouting of praises, and horn honking sent out the message of the Lord’s presence. The intentions of all the activity became part of the local gossip within hours of our travels up to the church and back. Everyone then knew about the new church, and the Shadow girls experienced community ministry.

*Name has been changed.

Switch Them: Part 2

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http://www.livingundertheshadowofhiswings.com/2016/02/switch-them-part-1/

I sat with frustrated house parents and an agitated girl, praying for insight for a volatile situation. This situation needed to be defused, and I did not know how to do that. Lord, I need you to guide me in how to deal with all of this. I had listened to the parents describing the disrespect and hurtful words hurled at them by the young teenager Karla*. Karla had confided in me that unfair accusations were being made against her. This cycle had gone on for over a year, and I needed to act now.

Vilma* waited for my response after she informed me that she wanted to quit being a house parent. Sighing, I said, “I think we need a time-out. It is not good to make a decision like this in the midst of anger and hurt.” I didn’t have the answers, and I needed time to sort through everything before making a decision.

Shaking her head, Vilma cried, “I can’t do this!”

“You are a good house mother and have helped many children in your home. They need you. There’s an answer for this, but we need more time to get it resolved.” I explained my idea to move Karla into a neutral home for a couple of days until we devised a plan.

I checked with another couple who already knew the problems with Karla. They agreed to open their home to her, and Karla moved in temporarily.

IMG_2240From the beginnings of the orphanage, we set a precedent that the children would not be moved around from one family to another. These children need stability. In real family relationships, the family learns to work through the problems. If a child acts out, she faces the consequences with the parents, and they work with her. The child experiences the discipline and love of the growing-up process. Moving a child from one family to another would provoke instability and insecurity. That described their before-Shadow lives, but at Shadow we provide consistency.

At Shadow we keep siblings together and we don’t want them to be in separate orphanages. Often the court will transfer a child to us because a sibling resides at Shadow. Even the court system stands firm on the idea of siblings remaining together. Placing them in the same home at Shadow establishes a stronger family and a sense of belonging. In the case of these two teens, each had a sister in the home with them.

When I woke from the dream and heard the words “switch them,” I knew what we had to do. I called the couples into the office and explained what I heard the Lord saying.

“It has been our policy not to move children from one home to another, but perhaps it is time for an exception. I think the Lord has opened my eyes to this idea for this particular circumstance. If it doesn’t turn out favorably, we will come together and work on a different solution. What do you think? Do you agree?”

The parents’ smiles, nods, and the look of relief filling their faces confirmed that this plan could be the answer.

The next day the two girls changed homes. Susy* and Karla knew this would be their last opportunity to stay at Shadow. I told them they would begin in their new families with a clean slate. I established the rule that neither set of house parents could talk negatively about their former daughter or bring up things from the past.

After the girls moved in with their new families, I nervously waited for feedback. The reports started to come in a week later. “We found out that Karla likes to sing,” the house father said with a grin. The house mother added, “They gather around Papa and sing songs almost every evening. It is a blessing to hear them.”

Encouraging words of positive progress continued to come in. Susy wouldn’t talk to her previous house parents but opened up to the new ones. I marveled at how the Lord worked it out. The tension and stress of the house parents lessened, and peace reigned. I could only guess what would have happened if we hadn’t acted on the words: “Switch them.”

*Names have been changed