Lois' House

I am finding myself humbled today by the Lord. He is so amazing and mysterious all at once. I am so blessed, yet so inadequate.
I have these young girls in my life that are not of my flesh. I love them so much, and pray for them often, though in my personal inadequacy I am sure they deserve more than I offer. I used to work with them all in my former position as a youth administrator and youth worker at my church. I left that position in January, with the fear that they may feel abandoned. The Lord is good however, and they keep coming around. Its funny, if you asked them they would all be able to tell you times that I have angered them beyond belief, they could tell you that they know I love them endlessly! They come and go, the seasons are sometimes long, sometimes short. They know I will always have an open door in my home, and empty bed in a room and a heart that overflows with love for them. We have many boundaries in our home, some of the boundaries seem easy to comply with others are much more difficult. They do not seem to prevent these girls from being here. I know they often feel as if they are a burden to my family, but the truth is we learn so much from them!
They have various backgrounds, therefore, have various issues. Most have abandonment issues, have been neglected and have felt unloved. Most are from broken homes.
The Lord is teaching me through them how to love unconditionally, with boundaries. Such a tough lesson to learn, and I am sure that I have much more to learn!
One has such issues with trust that after 4 years in my life, she still doesnt trust me. This young woman is so gifted! She is adorable, bright, and tough as nails! She lacks so much confidence in herself that she allows herself to be treated horribly by young men. Life has taught her that the only person she can depend on is herself, everyone lets her down and hurts her. I am so deeply saddened by her life experiences. I know the Lord has brought her into my life to prove all are redeemable and there is always hope, AND that you can ALWAYS trust the Lord. I will never give up on this girl, for I know the Father will never let her go. I told her not long ago that I am so looking forward to the day years down the road when she can look back and realize that she can now trust me. Not because I am trustworthy, but the Lord in me loves her more than life and always will!
Another young woman has been in and out for a short time in our home, she had been violated and no one believed her. Poor thing she just needed some one to believe her! I am not sure that everything she said happened to her, has happened just as she perceives, however it is her perception, so her response is based on that. Love this girl, she is funny, sarcastic, and I miss her when she is not here. She is living with her mom and learning how to be a daughter again, this is not easy for an 18 yr old.
We had 2 sisters with us for a while...They are beautiful girls. I was told they used to dig in their couch for change to go buy food with while dad was traveling for work and mom was sick in bed, so sad. They came to us in crisis, I think they did well here for awhile, but the boundaries really were tough for them, they had not had many. They youngest moved back home and is doing so well, I am so proud of her. She is so bright, and I continue to pray for her and her family. The older sister has such a hard time with consistency. She so badly wants love, she floats from person to person seeking advice that she likes; then moves on. She has been gone for a couple of months now and we are not hearing form her, I suspect because she fears that her choices right now are not good and little does she know, we love her in spite of them. I continue to pray!
So Lois' House is born. My husband was taken in by an amazing woman "Lois". She love him when no one else cared. We decided to provide a refuge for these young people and name it after his "Mom".
In Matthew, we are taught about clothing, feeding and loving Jesus when He came to us...That is what these girls are to me, they are an opportunity to show our love of Jesus. I dont want to miss the chance to love them! My heart breaks for them!