Perfection… and Love

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It was perhaps the most beautiful prayer I’ve ever heard. It was a Saturday night service at the City of Youth, with one hundred fifty or so children who call this place home filling the chapel. For the most part, society considers them throw-away kids. They all have scars of abuse on the inside; some wear them on the outside.

After a song or two, it was prayer time. Pastor Derli nodded toward a teenage girl near the back row, and she worked her way to the front of the auditorium. Gleice took the microphone from Pastor Derli, and bowed her head; all the other children took their cue and followed suit.

“God, thank you that I am perfect in Your eyes.”

I do not know Gleice’s particular story, but I do know the story of our kids. They come to Hope from the streets – abandoned, abused, and exploited. With them, they bring a lifetime of pain. They also bring a lifetime of self-doubt, inferiority, and guilt. They know they are unlovable.

But then they discover that the One who knows them best… loves them most – and that they are perfect in His eyes.

Perfect.

Let me invite you to be part of the transformation in the lives of Gleice and her friends as they learn to see themselves as perfect in their Father’s eyes. Each February, churches and individuals across the U.S. add a little something to their Valentine’s Day preparations. As they make cards for friends and family – and maybe for that special someone – they take a few extra minutes and make a card (or several!) for our girls. Then, during an early Summer party celebrating Brazil’s Day of Love, the Valentines are given to the girls.

As the cards are passed out, godly women talk to the girls about the meaning of love, the importance of purity, and their value as the highest creations of the God who truly loves them. The smiles and squeals as the girls open their Valentines are great rewards, but having the chance to change their self-perception means immeasurably more.

We are heartbroken by the lives these girls were forced to lead before they came to Hope, but we rejoice to see their innocence restored; to know that our God is a God of new beginnings.

Help these girls celebrate their new beginning! From now through April 1, send your Valentines to Hope Unlimited for Children, PO Box 100, Jefferson City, TN 37760. Get all the details HERE.

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