Tiffany moved on to what we call the "Next Step" place. The Love Home hopes to have a "Next Step" house or village of houses in the future so these young women can have a safe and affordable place to go, still remaining very much under our shepherding hand. This vision for the ministry is not yet a reality, and, therefore, Tiffany chose to return to the living arrangement that she left when she moved into the Mid-South Love Home. It was hard to see her go being unsure of how things will go for her, but this is the decision she made so we will do what we can to support her! Tiffany and I had a wonderful "goodbye" talk as she was preparing to leave and I am so very thankful that God allowed us to play such an intimate role in her life for so many months and we look forward to the opportunities we will still have to minister to her and Cayla! We still keep in touch and will remain in very close contact with her as she continues to work towards the goals she set for herself when she first came to us! I am on her list of people to call when she goes into labor so I know I will have pictures to show of Cayla as soon as she makes her grand entrance into the world!!
If you read my last post, you saw that our primary goal is to provide a safe home for these young women to live in, food to eat, clothes to wear, and transportation to their prenatal appointments so that they have the best possible opportunity for a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and baby. Our greatest desire is that they see the love of Christ lived out in front of them and towards them! I told Tiffany that our desire was to love her with no strings attached so that she could see a glimpse of how God loves her! We desire a relationship with these girls and God desires a relationship with us!! We pray that seeds were planted and trust that God will allow them to blossom into the full beauty He desires! Thank you to all who invested in Tiffany's life practically, Spiritually, and financially. May God bless you abundantly!!
We are confident that God has great things in store for this ministry and we are spending time now reflecting and evaluating how the ministry has gone thus far and looking into our policies, procedures, etc. to tweek anything that needs tweeking!! We also are raising our support for 2014. One thing we did realize is that it is difficult for me to be a wife and mother, do ministry, raise support, and work part time all at the same time. That is too many "hats" to wear and be effective at all of them. Therefore, we are praying for ways for us to survive financially without me working much, if any. God has provided and I am confident that He will continue to do so. Why? Because what He has called us to do lines up beautifully with some verses He showed me this morning. Matthew 25:34-36 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me..." God has called each of us to do something! The Mid-South Love Home is the "something" that He called the Kimberlin family to do. I have been hesitant about keeping this blog going. If you know my heart, you know that I am not writing this to "toot my own horn" or to announce publically what we are doing. We are doing this for an audience of One and out of obedience to His calling! I have just been asked to make the ministry "alive" to you, the readers, and that is why I am writing a blog. I want you to see, feel, and experience as much as possible what God is doing through this ministry.
With that said, please do the something that God is calling you to do! Whatever it looks like or sounds like, if it is something you could have never thought of, it's HIM!! I think you can tell through my entries that it has not been an easy road that He has asked us to travel. There have been more difficulties than I could imagine or explain. Yet the joy of diving in...walking on the water...totally abandoning everything to follow His call far exceeds the difficulties. I have to constantly make sure my gaze stays on Him alone and for that, I would love your prayers!!! I am posting the words to a new song by Matthew West that I heard for the first time this past week. Maybe it will encourage you. Maybe it will inspire you. Maybe it will compel you.
I woke up this morning
Saw a world full of trouble now
Thought, how'd we ever get so far down
How's it ever gonna turn around
So I turned my eyes to Heaven
I thought, "God, why don't You do something?"
Well, I just couldn't bear the thought of
People living in poverty
Children sold into slavery
The thought disgusted me
So, I shook my fist at Heaven
Said, "God, why don't You do something?"
He said, "I did, I created you"
If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it's time for us to do something
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
It's not enough to do nothing
It's time for us to do something
I'm so tired of talking
About how we are God's hands and feet
But it's easier to say than to be
Live like angels of apathy who tell ourselves
It's alright, "somebody else will do something"
Well, I don't know about you
But I'm sick and tired of life with no desire
I don't want a flame, I want a fire
I wanna be the one who stands up and says,
"I'm gonna do something"
If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it's time for us to do something
If not now, then when
We will see an end
To all this pain
It's not enough to do nothing
It's time for us to do something
We are the salt of the earth
We are a city on a hill (shine shine, shine shine)
But we're never gonna change the world
By standing still
No we won't stand still
No we won't stand still
No we won't stand still
If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it's time for us to do something
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
It's not enough to do nothing
It's time for us to do something
It's time for us to do something
It's time for us to do something
Isn't that an amazing song?!?! I am thankful I heard it and it inspires me to keep pressing forward no matter the obstacles we face, no matter how tough things get!!! One by one, the Love Home is going to do something for these young women and their soon-to-be-born babies!!!!
Finally, before I post Tiffany's baby shower pictures, I want to let you know that we have GIRL #3!!!! I cannot tell details because I haven't asked for permission yet. I will tell you, however, that she is 17 and a junior in high school. She is 8 weeks pregnant and her mother saw the Pass It On segment on News Channel 3 so when her daughter ended up pregnant, she tracked me down! What a blessing!! She is a single mom and is supporting her daughter. She isn't kicking her out of the home or anything. She just needs help! Therefore, after meeting with the mom, daughter, and baby's daddy, we decided that she would be better off staying with her family and allowing the Love Home to help her "commuter style". I took her this morning to an appointment and will be taking her to The Morning Center Thursday for her first prenatal appointment. I thoroughly enjoyed my "windshield" time with her today! She is so precious and I thank God for bringing her and her family into our lives! Please be praying for her and everyone involved as she begins her pregnancy and plans for her future!! God is so good and He knows exactly the people He wants to bring across our path!!!
Thanks for reading my, yet again, LONG post!! Now for the pictures!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment