A Weekend with the Atlanta Dream Center

This past weekend, Bryan & I headed to Atlanta to serve with the wonderful ministries of Atlanta Dream Center. If you have never heard of the Atlanta Dream Center (ADC), please read the following information about this ministry (taken from their website):

The Atlanta Dream Center (ADC), founded in 2003 by Pastor Paul Palmer and his family, exists for one reason: to reach the lost, rescue those in need and restore the brokenhearted.  We do this through our three major ministries, iAm (men), Out of Darkness (women), and Metro Kidz (children).

At the ADC, we impact as many hearts and lives as we can through the power of the Gospel. We know that to do this, we must abide in God’s presence and seek divine direction in all we do. Our team is unified in our commitment to walk in honesty, humility and holiness and to show honor and compassion to all those we meet.

Our supreme desire is to share the love of God with everyone we meet so that they, too, will follow Him. We believe that love is an action word. It is the guiding principle behind all we say and do. It is why when we see a need, we act, and why it is our overarching desire is to reach the lost, rescue those in need and restore the brokenhearted.

Our vision is to reach, rescue and restore men, women and children so that the glory of God may be known. Each of these precious ones is part of a notoriously difficult-to-reach demographic that includes the homeless, commercially sexually exploited and at-risk, underprivileged children.  We have seen the injustice visited upon these lives, and we are determined to be aggressive in our response.

Through His goodness, God has allowed us to partner with Him in bringing restoration to those shunned by society through three powerful ministries: iAm (men); Out of Darkness, (women); and Metro Kidz, (children).  Each day, we strive to reach, rescue and restore these dear ones not through our might but His.

The need is great, and the time is short. We have faith in your willingness to respond to the need that is before us and we know that He will be faithful in accomplishing the work that He has begun here in the city of Atlanta.

The Atlanta Dream Center is located in the Old 4thWard community of Atlanta. When you first drive up to their building, it doesn’t look as big or impressive as many of the buildings in Atlanta, but when you realize how many different ministries & outreaches the ADC is comprised of, you quickly become in awe of it. In addition to the office spaces, the building also houses a large commercial kitchen that feeds several hundred people (typically) a day, a food bank, & a warehouse that stores donated furniture to give to those the ministry helps to get back on their feet.

In the lobby of the ADC, on the wall you will find 3 different stories from those who have come through the ministries. Below each story, enclosed in a glass case, you will find objects that symbolize life before the Atlanta Dream Center completely changed their life. Praise God for His work through this ministry!

Tour of the Atlanta Dream Center

Bryan & I, along with Alyssa & Kaylee (our daughter & granddaughter) met with Pastor Paul that Thursday when we first arrived in Atlanta. We found Pastor Paul to be very endearing & so in love with our Lord. He loved on Kaylee (she reminded him of his own granddaughter) & encouraged Alyssa. He told us his story & how he came to Atlanta. You can see the joy radiate through him as he spoke of his heart for the ADC & the people of Atlanta. You can hear in his voice how he yearns for everyone this ministry touches to know the Lord & His redemption. His excitement gave way for more of the same to build within us. We were already ready for our weekend of serving to begin!

Pastor Paul gave us a tour around the ADC, introducing us to the directors & staff of the different ministries & areas within the ADC, which also includes the Atlanta School of Ministry. Everyone we met seemed so full of joy & excitement for what God is doing through the Atlanta Dream Center. Although I was impressed by it all, my most favorite place in the ADC is their prayer room. Upon entering, the presence of God was so overwhelming, it brought me to tears. You could feel the many prayers that had been lifted up within that room & know that God is definitely worshiped in this ministry.

After we toured the main building, Pastor Paul took us across the road to tour the Atlanta Dream Center Church. As we were walking, we met some girls who were moving into the apartments across the street from the ADC. Pastor Paul made a point to stop & welcome them to the community, inviting them to the coffee shop located in the church. This is how he, the staff, & many volunteers of the ADC, have made a difference in Atlanta: through loving one-on-one interactions, seeing & loving people as God sees & loves them, which is evident as they go about serving those who society has cast aside.

To say Bryan & I were excited to start our weekend of serving is a huge understatement. Although Bryan has been on a mission trip & worked with the homeless before, we had no expectations for the different ministries we would serve with as we had never volunteered with anything like this before. We prayed we were just open enough to put aside our flesh & to love on the people that most of society has forsaken. I am going to do my best to describe to you our experiences throughout the weekend. Please know that there is no way humanly possible to put any words adequate enough to describe what we were a part of. I pray I can do it justice so you can see how God is working through this awesome ministry.

Compassion Night

On Thursday nights, the iAm ministry part of ADC goes out into the community to connect with those who are homeless (these connections allow them to identify those who desire to leave the streets & the life it brings.) The goal for Compassion Night is not to just feed those who are homeless, but to build relationships that can lead them towards a God who loves & cares for them desperately.

We started the night at the ADC with the director, Nick. After giving the volunteers (about 10 of us) some brief instructions, Nick prayed for the night & we headed out to the location. When we pulled up, there were already a large number of people waiting in line. Nick mentioned this was probably the largest number of people that they had ever had waiting on them. Everyone helped set up the food tables so we could start feeding. After we were set up, some were tasked to help serve food & some of us were tasked to mingle & talk with those who had come.

One of the first things I noticed about those who were in line (which consisted of mainly men, a few women, & one family) was the shame & embarrassment they seemed to have about being there. As I looked around, they would quickly look away from me, hanging their heads & looking at the ground. My heart broken for these people, I remembered what Nick had told us about a huge focus of the iAm ministry: helping these people find their identity in Christ, which is not in their state of homelessness. I went up to each person in line, shook their hands, introducing myself & asking their name, all the while, locking my eyes with theirs. I prayed that this little gesture would at least help them feel some sense of dignity & help ease their feelings of shame. I shook hands with so many different people: a black man, a white man, a transvestite, a war veteran, a teenage boy. Homelessness & addiction does not discriminate.

Bryan & I met many interesting people that night. Like Brandon* who was so intelligent & pleasant to talk with, but was so quick to say he wasn’t homeless because he was ashamed. And sweet Sir (he would never give us his real name, telling us to call him whatever we wanted, so Bryan told him he would call him Sir because he wanted to show respect) - such a funny man who had an outrageously beautiful raspy singing voice. As he blessed us by singing some Christian songs, he broke down into tears after he finished Amazing Grace & asked us to pray for him. We encouraged him to use the gift God has given him to bless someone else who needed uplifting. As Sir sang us some more songs, mine & Bryan’s eyes kept going to this family who had a small girl who looked to be around the age of our granddaughter, Kaylee. After Sir ending his entertainment, we quickly went to them to see how we could pray with them. Devin* had lost his job as a chef in Jacksonville, FL. Somehow, he & Tia* (who was 4 months pregnant), along with their 2 year old daughter, Princess*, made their way to Atlanta to find more resources to help them in this season of their life. Princess was such a sweet little girl. She kept giving me hugs & playing with my hair. When we had to leave the site, it grieved my soul to know we would be leaving them behind & that she would be on the streets that night.

Before we left the site, the team gathered up to discuss our experiences & to pray. While we were talking, an intoxicated homeless man came up & wanted to talk too, except he wanted to talk over the group members who were talking. Nick did such an amazing job keeping this man from speaking over the team members; he was neither rude nor condescending & took such great care to speak to him as any man deserves to be spoken to. At one point, I noticed that Nick was barefoot & that this man was holding Nick’s flip flops. He didn’t have but the one pair of worn shoes & Nick had given him the shoes off of his feet. Such servitude is amazing to see in person. I truly believe it is this sort of servant’s heart attitude that draws people to Atlanta Dream Center ministries.

All of the night was filled with God, but let me tell you how God made Himself known in a huge way this night! We took enough sandwiches (as well as chips, desserts, & drinks) for 160 people. By 8:30, we had run out, with about 30-40 people still in line that needed food! Nick began walking around the site, praying. At one point, he grabbed me & Bryan, asking us to also pray for the situation. After Bryan & I prayed, we looked up & saw part of the team breaking down the tables, preparing to leave. Nick told us that after he was walking around praying for God to provide, some guy came up to him & gave him about 30-40 meals, which enabled us to completely feed each & every person who was in line that night! God is so good! Even for the addicted, the intoxicated, the homeless, God provided! He had not forgotten about these people, had not turned His back on their need. This was such an amazing miracle to see come to life! We may not have seen anyone escape the trap of homelessness or addiction that night, but those men & women now know that the God of our universe sees them & loves them huge!

“Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.”

~ Luke 58: 7 ~

Princess Night

On Friday night, we were blessed to be a part of the Out of Darkness ministry’s Princess Night. The goal of Princess Nights is to build relationships & establish trust with the women & young girls who walk the streets of Atlanta, ultimately offering each woman a chance to escape this lifestyle which holds them in bondage.

We met with the rest of the volunteers at the Atlanta Dream Center for some brief training & instructions, & of course, prayer. We had 2 teams of volunteers, in separate vans, which headed out to a track in the Atlanta area to attempt to make contact with some of these women. Our team, which included 6 women & 1 man (including Bryan & myself), was led by Mark & Carolyn. They have participated in Princess Night for many years & have developed a wonderful, loving relationship with many of these ladies that are consistently on these streets. They have been trained to look for things to make sure it was safe for the woman, as well as us, before they would stop to speak with her. Some “Johns” don’t like when you speak to a woman on “duty” because you cost him money. We had to be very careful to not touch a woman (unless we asked for permission) because some of these women have to “log & report” each time they are even touched by someone. Besides the obvious, you can see the oppression & danger for those women enslaved in sexual exploitation.

Our night typically went like this: When we would come up on a woman & determined it was safe, Carolyn (who rode in the front of the van) would get out & get ready to approach her. Bryan would let two of us ladies in the back of the van out to accompany Carolyn. (Bryan was our door guard for the evening. His job was making sure things were safe to let the ladies out of the van & guarding the door while we were sitting at a contact site.) Mark would get out of the van & walk around, keeping an eye on the ladies that were out with the woman. The ladies would then approach the target woman, offering her a rose & a card with the rescue hotline number on it. After talking for a few minutes, if she would allow it, we would pray for her, holding hands in a circle, lifting her & her situation up to the Lord. Some women declined offers for roses & prayers. Some even ran away from us when we drove up. Regardless, we prayed for each & every woman specifically after any contact was made or attempted.

Prayer was, & is, a huge part of Princess Night. During our ride to, & through, the track area, no one in the van talked. The entire time, each team member prayed aloud for the women we made contact with, the ones we passed, the ones that ran away, & even for the men that are part of this sexual exploitation cycle. We prayed for the other team, for the women that were brought across their paths. We prayed for each other, specifically for courage, protection from frustration, for safety. It was so incredible, so humbling, to be a part of these prayers.

During our ride back to ADC at the end of the evening, we again prayed specifically for each & every person we came across throughout the evening (there were a few men, too). Total, our team made contact with 24 women - some who were known by the team leaders & some who we just met. We may not have been able to witness their rescue that night, but seeds of God’s love were definitely planted into those women’s hearts. Only He knows when they will bloom, but for now, they know they are loved & that there are people out there that are willing to help them when they are ready to break free from their bondage.

There were some left over roses that Mark ended up giving to each of the women volunteers. As I looked at that rose, I prayed these women would understand what the rose symbolized (to me). That each that got a rose would see the beauty in this created object of God & would realize that they, too, are a beautiful created image of God. That the sweet, fresh fragrance of that rose would transport them to a time where they were once innocent & free, creating a longing in them to return to that freedom. That with a prick of the thorn, they would know that even though life is painful, God can heal any hurt. That as the rose dies, they would not just toss it away, but be reminded that the things of this world, the things they may be working for, will all fade away, but God’s love & pursuit of them will not.

 Out of respect for their safety, I will not divulge the names (nor will I use pseudonyms) of any lady or their situation to you, but all of them are heartbreaking & need your prayers.

“I tell you, her sins - and they are many - have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

~ Luke 7:47-48 ~

Adopt-a-Block

Saturday morning, we met other volunteers at the Atlanta Dream Center Church for Adopt-a-Block. The goal consists of going into different areas around Atlanta, creating loving, trusting relationships with the community & taking the love of Christ to those who are struggling & feel forgotten. We started the day with worship & prayer. There were about 8 areas you could volunteer to serve at. I would have loved to have gone back out to the track area to possibly speak with some of the women we had made contact with the night before, but Bryan & I decided to let God lead us where we were needed most. Bryan & I were the only ones that went to an area with the site pastor, Mary. We ended up going to a small apartment complex right up the road from the ADC. There are many single moms & children in this area that need encouragement & love. (This ministry of the ADC is one that can ALWAYS use more volunteers!)

The first thing we did when we got to the apartment complex was to pick up trash. This wasn’t a good time to realize that I should have brought a hair clip! It was so hot & this was not “fun” work. I understand the importance of a home being free of litter, but I just didn’t see how this was going to reach anyone for Christ. As we are going around the property, God kept working on my heart, reminding me He could work in any situation, in any act of service. So, for His name to be known, I kept on without complaint!

After we picked up all of the trash around the property, we went door to door to make contact with these children & their parent(s). I think we knocked on about 10 or so doors, with no one answering at all. Discouragement was starting to set in because, as a team, we had come to agreement that we desired to have deep, intimate conversations about Christ with these families, but we couldn’t do that if no one was home! When someone finally answered her door, she mentioned that someone with Metro Kidz (a part of ADC) had already been by that morning, inviting the children to the park right across the road for some activities. We headed towards the park & found these volunteers had set up a manicure station & were also building bird houses with the kids. So we quickly joined in on the fun, playing with the children & talking with the adults.

During this time, we met a woman, Roshundra*, who was currently homeless with 5 children (ages 16 months, 2, 3, 5, & 12 years of age.) She had escaped a domestic abuse situation & was now living in a shelter just down from the park. She came to the park to let her children have some play time & to expend some of their energy. We were able to pray with her for her situation & for her children. We also met Tiffany* & her adorable 18 month old daughter, Annissa*. We never got into her story as she seemed guarded, so we just hung out with her, loving on her & Annissa. We invited both ladies to come to church with us at the ADC Church the next morning. I pray these children & parents that were a part of this day will know, through the acts of love from the ADC, that God loves them so very much!

“For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

~ Psalm 27:10 ~

Church at the Atlanta Dream Center Church

Sunday morning, we were blessed to be able to attend church & worship with the community we had been in all week. This was probably one of the most moving, Spirit-filled services I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of. This worship service brought the purpose of the whole weekend into perspective for me. It was such a humbling, overwhelming experience to be there, singing praise to our God, among addicts, prostitutes, & the homeless. To hear the woman shout out that she was adopted out of prostitution because of the work of God, though the Atlanta Dream Center, in her life was so surreal. To have met, & to now be sharing songs of worship & praise with, a man who has been in prison & struggled with an addiction to crack was uncanny in a sense. To know this church was full of those who have been cast aside, yet were here worshiping the same God as I, was beautiful. To watch the founder of this wonderful ministry fall on his face in worship was so breath taking. I could do nothing but cry at the awesome grace, forgiveness, & love of our Lord!

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

~ Colossians 3:16 ~

God Knows the Needs & Hears the Prayers of His Children

I watched God work in so many ways this weekend; in unbelievably miraculous ways (such as needed food) & as small & simple as an answer to personal prayer. On our way up to Atlanta, I told Bryan that one of my “fears” about the weekend was that I was going to fall in love with it, but not be able to be as big a part of it as we would like due to the time & the money it costs to come & serve (we live about 190 or so miles south of Atlanta.) I prayed if this was something God wanted us more involved in, that He would make a way for it to happen. My fear came true as I feel completely in love with Pastor Paul & his wonderful staff, as well as the heart behind the mission of the Atlanta Dream Center. And God being God answered my prayer in the simple offer from a young man we met during Compassion Night. Roger, one of the volunteers, came up to me & Bryan after we were done for the night & handed Bryan his card. He told us he had a house by himself, with his children coming only every other weekend & that we were more than welcome to stay with him if we ever wanted to serve again. Roger didn’t know about my fear or my prayer. He probably didn’t know that his offer was the answer to a prayer. But our God knew & put someone in our path that could provide a need, answer a prayer, from one of His children. God is so good!

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”

~ 1 John 5:14 ~

Red & Yellow, Brown, Black, & White, They are Precious in His Sight

These men, women, & children that we came in contact with throughout the weekend are made in the image of God, just like you or I. These individuals may be someone’s father or mother, brother or sister, but they were all definitely someone’s son or daughter. They are so much more than their lot in life, in what they do for a living, or where they sleep at night. These are human beings who, even though some may have taken a wrong path or two, are created by our God for His glory. These children who are born into less than perfect circumstances are created, not by mistake, but by our Creator for a purpose. They deserve someone to care enough to bring the love of God to them so they, too, can become adopted by the most wonderful Father of all! Praise God for Pastor Paul & the Atlanta Dream Center for seeking them out to do just that!

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.”

~ Romans 10:12 ~

Making a Difference: Reaching, Rescuing, & Restoring

The Atlanta Dream Center is making a difference! Neighborhoods are being changed by the love of God. People are getting help for their addictions, coming out of homelessness, escaping bondage to sexual exploitation. And this all due to the work of God in & through the work of Pastor Paul & the staff / volunteers of the Atlanta Dream Center! The following information is taken from the Atlanta Dream Center’s 2015 Annual Report. (Please click on the link to read the in-depth report on what the ADC accomplished in 2015.)

Reach

• 8,203 meals were given out on Compassion Night
• 965 roses were given out on Princess Night
• 589 children were ministered to through weekly outreaches

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon [us], because He has anointed [us] to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent [us] to proclaim liberty to the captive and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

~ Luke 4:18-19 ~

Rescue

• 300 rescues out of sexual exploitation

“For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sings.”

~ Colossians 1:13-14 ~

Restore

• 167 women went on to a long-term recovery program (55% placement rate)
• 75 kids came to know Christ as their Lord & Savior through various Metro Kidz outreaches
• 66 men were placed into recovery programs
• 43 women & children were assisted in leaving situations of domestic violence or homelessness
• 8 children attend our weekly Bible study, with 8 more at our newly opened second location
• 2 children publicly professed their faith in Christ through baptism during a Sunday morning service

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba Father.”

~ Romans 8:15 ~

These numbers are AMAZING! But before there were numbers, there was a person; a person who was sought out & loved on by the Atlanta Dream Center. Please check out the websites & different ministries I mentioned earlier. Sign up for a week, a weekend, or a day of service. Give their volunteer coordinator, Abigail, a call & she will help you find the right spot for you to serve. If you cannot visit them to serve, please give to their mission so the Atlanta Dream Center can continue to provide these programs & resources. Be a part of their vision: Reach, Rescue, Restore! I promise you will come away largely blessed & forever changed!

In His love!

* Names have been intentionally changed to respect the privacy of the individual

What a Difference a Day Makes - HIStory Part 1

What a difference a day makes! Or 490 days. Or, literally, a Day. Ever since the words “Alyssa is having a baby” were uttered to us 16 months ago, our lives have completely turned upside down. Throughout these months, I’ve prayed about & felt led to tell of this story filled with grace, forgiveness, & unconditional love amidst shame, fear, & bigotry. I’ve finally relented to obedience & have written about this hectic, wonderful time in our lives that belongs only to God.

Our dear friends brought the life-changing words to us in mid-April of 2015. Our daughter, Alyssa, was a freshman at her college of choice, Truett-McConnell, in Cleveland, GA. We were excited to see how the Lord worked in her life & oh, how He did! It just wasn’t how anyone expected. When Alicia & Kenny told us what was going on with our daughter, I cannot adequately describe in words the emotions that threatened to drown us. There was NO way that our daughter was having a baby, AT THIS MOMENT, & we not have known about it!

Yes, you read those words correctly. Our daughter went through 9-months of pregnancy & we didn’t have a clue. No one did. She did not show & actually lost weight since she started college the August before. Alyssa went to great lengths to keep her pregnancy from the world. I will not tell her story as it is her testimony to give when she feels led.

Before we started the long trek to the hospital, as Bryan was trying to find us a reliable vehicle to get us to our daughter (our car had started to give us trouble), I stayed on the phone with Alyssa (who was in the end stages of labor), then eventually her best friend, Bree, as my daughter gave birth to our first grandchild, a baby girl. As a mother, I cannot tell you how heart-wrenching it is to listen, helplessly, to your baby girl crying out with the throes of labor, & not be there with her. I wasn’t there to hold her hand through her contractions. I wasn’t there to wipe the sweat from her brow as she worked her way through them. I wasn’t there to love on her & tell her it would be alright. I sadly realized that I wasn’t there for any of it. Not her finding out. Not the sonograms to tell us if the baby was a boy or girl. Not the morning sickness, heartburn, swollen feet, or many of the other wonderful pregnancy related rites of passage. I wasn’t there at all.

After Alyssa gave birth, Bree was gracious & took some pictures of our granddaughter for us. The moment I laid eyes on that picture, I was in love, but so terribly heartbroken. My heart ached because I didn’t know where, or if, this beautiful baby girl would fit into our lives. Alyssa had already expressed she was going to give her up for adoption. Once Alyssa was able to talk again, I pled with her to not make any hasty decisions concerning the baby before we got there to talk with her & she agreed she would not. I then asked her if she had held her baby yet. My heart shattered when she cried, “I can’t. I don’t want to love her.” This wasn’t as harsh as words on a computer screen make it seem. This was a cry from a girl who was ashamed & scared. A cry from a new, young mother who obviously already loved her baby. I implored Alyssa to hold her, to give her baby the love she needed right now, regardless if she was going to go home with a new Mommy & Daddy. When Alyssa did hold her new baby girl, more than likely actually looking at her for the first time, she burst into tears, saying, “She’s so beautiful.” Weeping with her, I expressed to Alyssa that we loved her so very much & that we would get through this together.

The 5-hour ride to the hospital in Gainesville, GA was one of the longest, prayer-filled rides of my life. The atmosphere in the truck was so tense, so eerily quiet. Satan worked overtime that night, attacking me at every twist & turn. I was so tormented by thoughts of regrets & pain, they flashed through my mind as quickly as pop-ups on a computer:

“How could I not have known my daughter was pregnant? What kind of mother am I?”

“Why, oh why didn’t I let her come home when she pleaded with us that she didn’t want to be in college anymore? Couldn’t I see? What kind of mother am I?”

“How will I be able to live if she gives this baby up?” How will she be able to live if she doesn’t?”

“How painful & scary must it have been for her to go through this alone? Where was I when she needed me the most? What kind of mother am I?

“Why didn’t she feel she could some to me? What kind of mother am I?”

“What kind of mother am I?”

               I know Bryan had to be experiencing the same regrets & pain as I, but oddly we didn’t speak much. I guess we both had to deal with our demons in our own way. Holding hands as if we were each other’s only lifeline, my husband & I silently pledged to be in this together to the end, whatever that end may be.

Pulling a strength learned from well-worn roads of trials past, I fought the devil during the ride that night. I was determined he was not going to win the battle for my mind & my heart. I prayed prayers of God’s promises, of my identity in Him. I am not a perfect mother, but I have loved my kids more than myself. While we have tried to steer them from unsavory & unfruitful paths, I realized that they are ultimately responsible for the choices, the paths, they take. In hindsight, were there things we should have done differently? Absolutely. But this night, I was not going to give Satan a stronghold in my mind with his accusations.

Respecting our daughter’s wishes, we did not call many people that night. With her permission, we did call our pastor (Fred), our accountability partners (Kevin & Ms. Sherry), & two of my dearest friends (Tasha & Ki). I cannot thank these people enough for the prayers that helped quiet my soul. The words my best friend, Tasha, prayed over me during our phone call will be cherished by me forever. The help that a dear friend, Casey, gave to us by sending two of her friends to the hospital to stay with Alyssa so she didn’t have to be alone will forever be etched into my heart. This outpouring of love, along with our loved ones prayers of supplication, gave me a peace that seems absurd in a situation such as this. This covering of prayers allowed me to think clearly & rationally, even in the face of the enemy. Despite my feelings of hurt & disappointment, I determined I would love on my daughter so she would have no doubt she has a safety net in our home, in our hearts, during this storm. Excruciatingly painful as it was, I resolved to support Alyssa in whatever she decided to do, no matter what. This was HER decision, HER life, & I needed to support her & let her know I loved her regardless.

Arriving at the hospital late close to midnight, it seemed each step towards the front door was weighed down by weariness & the unknown. Finding Alyssa’s room, we stopped & prayed before going in. We prayed for hearts that could show grace to our daughter. We prayed for wisdom to speak the words our daughter needed to hear. We prayed for strength to be able to handle the moment if she decided to give her baby up for adoption. We prayed for love to overflow so we could comfort our scared, ashamed “little girl”.

Walking through the door, I was overwhelmed with the amount of people that were already inside: her best friend & her boyfriend, the two ladies our friend called to sit with our daughter until we got there, all the nurses! So many people were already inside loving on our girl. When I saw Alyssa, my heart ached. She looked so tiny, so pale. And so very afraid. Bryan & I head straight for her & held her as we all three cried, grieving the unspoken between us. This was our baby girl, the one that was almost taken from us twice before she was even born. She was her Daddy’s “punkin’ head” & my princess.

It was only when one of the ladies in the room spoke up did we realize our granddaughter was in the room with us. This woman, this sweet, God-sent woman, held this precious baby out to my husband & asked, “Do you want to meet your granddaughter?” I cannot speak for Bryan or of the emotional ride he took that night as it was his own to forge. I do know he was worried about how we would care for a baby, about how Alyssa would care for a baby. Maybe, he thought, it would be best if Alyssa did put the baby up for adoption. But as my husband held that beautiful baby girl, I knew his heart was hers. I can’t tell you how much deeper in love I fell with my husband watching him hold & nuzzle our granddaughter. There was a tenderness there that I had not seen since our daughter was a baby. That sweet memory will forever be in my heart.

When I finally gathered this precious soul in my arms, she took my breath away. So tiny (5 pounds, 7 ounces) you could hold her in one hand. Her hair was such a deep brown & already had a curl to it. Her eyes, oh, her eyes! So dark & so alert. Only a few hours old, she was taking in the world around her with such curiosity. My heart already loved her with a lifetime of loves! This was definitely going to be a faith-filled path our family would embark upon no matter what Alyssa decided.

After giving our unending thanks to the ones that stood by & with Alyssa until we got there, we settled in to talk. Alyssa was exhausted, mentally & physically, as were we, but this was a talk that didn’t need to be put off. We talked about the benefits of placing the baby for adoption or keeping her to raise. Bryan & I declared our commitment to Alyssa that we would stand by her & help her raise the baby if she chose to keep her. But we also told her we would support her if she felt placing her for adoption was the best decision for her. Chase (our son) who was away at college in Graceville, FL, begged Alyssa to not give her up, vowing his support in helping raise her. After much discussion, many tears, & more prayers, Alyssa decided to keep the baby. She named her Kaylee Nicole & we affectionately call her Bug. Alyssa immediately & effortlessly fell into her role as Mommy. I would never be able to adequately describe what it was like watching her care for & love on Kaylee those first few days, but it was something beautiful.

Alyssa was in the hospital from that Thursday to that Sunday. We eventually called the other pastors in our church to let them know what was going on because we needed all the prayers we could get! My husband & I went from an empty nest to the realization of having one child AND our granddaughter back in the house. And we had NOTHING to bring her home to. No baby bed, no diapers, no formula. Bryan & I didn’t even have a change of clothes, toothbrush, or anything for us while we stayed at the hospital with Alyssa because we left out of town immediately after learning she was in labor.

This is where God’s grace & His church comes in! That Friday, as Bryan & I were shopping for essentials for us, as well as some diapers & other things for when we took Kaylee home, our pastor’s wife (Cindy) called me. Without our having to ask, she was already putting into motion things that would supply our homecoming for months. She was rounding up bassinets, diapers, bottles, anything we would need to bring a baby home. To say we were overwhelmed is a huge understatement! She told us that Fred (our pastor, her husband) was on his way to see us. Our pastor drove 5 hours to pray for Alyssa, Kaylee, & us, as well as to bring us a most generous gift. Again, we were blown away by God’s grace & provision.

While we were in the hospital, the nurses took such good care of our girls. They were so moved by the story of this situation & wanted to shower them much love; and they did! They kept bringing formula & diapers for us to pack away to take home. They brought a huge bag of baby clothes, blankets, & such that women in the community had put together for those in need. At the first hospital Alyssa was taken to in Dahlonega, GA (they didn’t have a labor & delivery, so they had to transport her to Gainesville) a nurse who felt so moved by Alyssa came to visit her & brought things for Kaylee. One of the paramedics that drove her from one hospital to another cried with her during the ride & also came to visit her in the hospital. Our God showed up in SO many ways for our girls. We were constantly moved to tears & giving thanks for all He heaped upon our family during these first couple of days.

After we got home that Sunday & Alyssa made Kaylee’s birth public, God showed out again! My Sunday School class of ladies (which happens to NOT be your Mama’s Sunday School class) vowed to rally around us & they did! Our friends in the church supplied dinner EVERY night for about 2 weeks or so. As they were bringing dinner, they were bringing gifts for baby Kaylee! I placed everything on our kitchen table because I wanted to be reminded of God’s blessings, grace, & forgiveness. Our table was overflowing! We had a bed & changing table supplied, bottles, diapers (we didn’t have to buy diapers for 3 months), bath stuff, & oh my at the clothes! About a month after we were home, my awesome Sunday School class threw Alyssa & Kaylee a shower where even more blessings flowed. My God’s church showed out! My husband’s Sunday School class gave gift cards to Alyssa to use for Kaylee, me & her gift certificates to get our nails done, & a gift card for Bryan to use to take Alyssa & I out to talk about our futures. One of the most touching gifts that was given to Alyssa, just for her, was a women’s study Bible. Our youth pastor & his wife (Christian & Gentry) purchased this & told her that they wanted her to have a Bible that would help her in this new path her life had taken (they knew she had a student study Bible before that.) When we finally went back to church with Kaylee, the outpouring of love & forgiveness was astonishing. We are tremendously blessed to be a part of Northside Baptist Church in Tifton, GA!

All of these blessings, however, did not come without trials. Trials we knew were inevitable. The biggest one was over Kaylee’s ethnicity; she is a biracial baby. Bryan & I do not see any wrong with mixed-race relationships, but not all family members feel the same. This was a huge obstacle for Alyssa to overcome because there were very close family members that did not approve of Kaylee being biracial. This disapproval came with not speaking to Alyssa, nor having anything to do with Kaylee initially. Through many tears, frustrations, & tons of prayers, I am so proud to say that, although some more growth is needed, this obstacle is being overcome. Kaylee has definitely rattled & shaken our family up!

One of the most hurtful trials to Alyssa is with Kaylee’s father. I will not name him in this writing, but he knows who he is. He has not been involved at all, electing to “opt out” of responsibility when Alyssa told him she thought she was pregnant. He did contact Alyssa when she went public with Kaylee’s birth, but he told her nothing had changed with him; he couldn’t be involved. I pray for this young man daily. I get so frustrated because he is missing, has missed, so many precious moments with Kaylee. My biggest prayer is for him to find his salvation through Christ because only when his relationship with the Lord is right will he be a good father to Kaylee. I pray for Alyssa to not let bitterness rise up when she sees him living life with no consequences. And I pray for Kaylee, that one day she will be able to forgive the father that wasn’t there. Maybe one day he will be. For that day, I also pray.

I am so proud of Alyssa for many reasons. I am most proud that she chose life for her baby. Even though she was in her freshman year of college, she still chose life. Even doing this alone, she chose life. In the fall following Kaylee’s birth, Alyssa went back up to Truett-McConnell for a week to meet with her professors to complete the few classes she needed to finish out her freshman year of college (she left with 2 weeks left in the semester & all of her professors had blessed her with incompletes so she would not lose all she had already done.) She got a job working at Chick-fil-A around August of 2015 & has worked at it faithfully to provide diapers & needs for her baby. She took a little over a year off from school to be with Kaylee, but she started back last week at our local college, ABAC, to continue her pursuit of her nursing degree. We are praying for her to finish strong! And I know she will. This experience will make her determined & stronger, & will help her build a solid foundation for her life with Kaylee.

As of right now, Bryan & Chase are the father figures in Kaylee’s life & male support for Alyssa. I pray daily for Alyssa’s future husband & Kaylee’s future father-figure. I pray he is a man of God, one that will lead both of them to the cross every day. I pray, regardless what his ethnicity may be, he will love Kaylee as his own, as will his family. I pray he treats our girls with the love, respect, & devotion they both deserve.

These past 16 months have been so full of laughs, tears, ups & downs. I don’t know what Bryan & I ever did before we had this precious grandchild. We were entering the beginnings of our lives alone, with no children. But now, oh how this little baby, our sweet Bug, has changed our world! I love watching her grow & learn new things. Her smile…I live for her smile! I love watching her “praise the Lord” & listening to her as she learns new words. When she says GiGi, my heart melts & all is right in the world. And those curls! I can’t wait until they fall into a heap of wonderful mess! She loves music & loves to dance! Her infectious smile, as she is wiggling her bottom & swinging her arms while dancing, is so entertaining. If she didn’t already know it, she has her Big Daddy & GiGi wrapped so tight around her finger. I pray for this sweet, loving soul. I pray we can teach her to love the Lord. I pray we can teach her to forgive always & to love others immensely. I pray she realizes how blessed her start in this world was, even amidst the confusion & chaos. I pray she falls so head over heels for her God that anyone will be able to look at her & say, “That’s God’s girl!”

You know, while we were at the hospital, many of the nurses kept telling Bryan & me we were saints, that we should be commended for being so accepting or forgiving. I guess I can understand why they would say that, but on the other hand, it makes me sad that they felt they had to say it. The thought that someone would disown or let their child walk through the storms of life alone, whether just for the storm or for the rest of that child’s life, is so very disheartening to me. God gave me these children to raise, to love, to teach, through the blessings & the trials. Who am I to decide that I want nothing to do with one of them because they disappointed me or made a mistake, regardless of the situation? My Heavenly Father doesn’t shun me or throw me away when I fail & trust me, I fail daily. I will always strive to be forgiving & accepting. That doesn’t mean those times won’t be without hurdles, but I will never turn my children away.

Some may (& do) think we, because we are proud of & support our daughter & are absolutely in love with our granddaughter, that we are glorifying teen & out of wedlock pregnancy. We are not glorifying any sin, but we ARE glorifying something. We are glorifying God’s forgiveness for a young lady who lost her way. We are glorifying a life that was born because that young mother chose life, & not death, for her baby. We are glorifying Jesus’ work on the cross, without which this young mother would have no hope to restore her life. We are glorifying God’s redemptive work in the life of this young mother. We are glorifying because over & over, Scripture implores us to tell of His work in our lives: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.” (Psalm 107:1-2a) Your story may be what brings others to Him & their own redemption story.

Please learn from our experience. Be gracious to others; you never know what they are walking through & your interaction with them could be the one that brings them to God or pushes them from Him. Forgive, forgive again, then forgive some more; even the big things. Love unconditionally: love others so much they can’t help but see Christ through you. Above all, know that God, despite our feeble attempts & failures in life, gives us just such grace, forgiveness, & love.

In His love