When God says, "Enough is Enough"

Last week, God allowed me to be a part of an amazing rescue. A rescue He ordained for two of His beautiful children: Onesta and George. This summer, my mom had a group of 10 very sweet and very young girls. From age 6 to age 11. They were so precious and FULL of energy. I remember watching them greet her one day when they got off the bus. They sprinted 20 yards to tackle her on the field at camp. They welcomed me as if I was their big sister. I just remember their gorgeous smiles every time I look at them.

Mom was a perfect fit for these sweet girls. She has her own granddaughter who is FULL of energy, so she easily fell in line with them. Throughout the week, mom was able to counselor them, play with them, listen to their stories, and love them unconditionally.



On Monday, when the girls arrived, Onesta was among their beautiful smiles. I can't wait for you to see her smile. Her nose wrinkles and her eyes squint. Seriously, SO cute. When Tuesday came, all except Onesta ran up to mom. The Discipleship leader said that Onesta couldn't come because she had to stay home to take care of her 5 year old brother. Onesta is 9 by the way. Apparently, on Monday that week, Onesta left her brother, George, with a neighbor so that she could come have fun at camp. Let me tell you, camp is EVERYTHING to these kids. They get more joy in going to camp, then they do ANY other day of ANY other year--it's Christmas and birthday rolled into one week. When she returned that evening, her alcoholic father strolled in drunk and very late in the night. In inquiring from his two children, he found out Onesta had gone to camp and George had stayed with a neighbor. In his drunken and angry state, he beat Onesta with all his might holding a sharp iron rod. Her tiny 9 year old body was so swollen and she was in so much pain that she couldn't come to camp for the next two days. On Thursday, we went out into the community, and guess who was waiting at the CRC for us to arrive? Onesta AND George. Because she was so badly beaten, she couldn't come to see my mom without bringing George. That day, my mom had a blessing time with her. She found out that Onesta's mom was stabbed and murdered by her father a couple years ago. Her dad is a drunk and a very violent man. He leaves them for weeks at a time to drink his life away in some bar. With no one else at home, Onesta has stepped up as the guardian of George. But she is barely a child herself. At 8 years old, Onesta's father put a knife to her face. He screamed at her and as she pulled away, he cut her face open. She has a scar across her nose displaying the hatred of her earthly father for the rest of her life.

But her heavenly Father didn't forget her. Her Heavenly Father saw everything. He knew the pain, he knew the suffering, he saw her desire to want to be a child. He KNOWS her like no one else knows her, and on Friday of last week, he said, "ENOUGH is ENOUGH." This is MY child, and you will hurt her NO MORE.

I just happened to travel to Chipata last Friday morning to meet with caretakers in our program about enrolling their kids in school. When I walked into the CRC, Onesta and George were RIGHT there. Onesta ran so fast and snuggled in my arms. I began to cry, because nothing has changed--she looks exactly the same. With an umbrella of sadness surrounding her, joy is somehow escaping. Her brother gave me a hug and we talked about Aunty Kim and how she missed them SO much and thinks about them EVERY day.

















After the caretaker meeting, I spoke with the Discipleship Leader who said that Onesta was being assessed THAT DAY to move into one of Family Legacy's resident homes. These homes are a shelter that we just started that provide Tree of Life care--food, shelter, school, house moms, counseling FULL-time--but outside of the Tree of Life.

Most of the time, our staff joins with the Government Social Welfare to complete assessments. After seeing the child's life at home and getting the government to approve, we go pick them up and get the consent of the guardians. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay to greet the government officer or our staff because I had a meeting with the Kabanana caretakers. About an hour later, as I'm talking with the caretakers, I get a phone call from our Zambian staff and then from one of our American staff who is over her briefly to help with moving children in. Because I received both calls within minutes, I thought it may be urgent. When I said hello, Christa said, "Megan, it's about Onesta and George." Immediately my stomach dropped and my face froze in terror. With the violence of her father, anything could have just happened. However, from the other end of the phone I hear, "The government official said this is an emergency take over. We have to get them out NOW." In my head the Lord said, "Megan, I said enough is enough. They are free." I couldn't stop crying I was so joyful.

I rushed through the next caretaker meetings with so much anticipation that I couldn't help it. I wanted to get to those homes as fast as I could to see their beautiful faces. When I finally arrived, the first person to jump into my arms, was Onesta. She gripped my neck and said, "And me, Aunty?" I looked at her as she was pointing to her newly braided hair!













She had been given a bath and new clothes!! Joy was literally RADIATING through her. What I was seeing was the child God had seen all along. He had seen the beauty behind the pain, and I was just now able to see the same thing.

I PRAISE our Mighty God in Heaven, because He sees all, knows all, and steps in at the exact time He needs to. I'm so very thankful that God chose me to be here when he rescued them.

We have seen how these children NEED to have a place to call home, and the demand is so high that we can't build houses at the TOL fast enough. As a result, we began a Resident Home program where the children live in a complex of houses, OUTSIDE of the compound, where they are safe and free. The problem is, we don't own these facilities and they are very very rare to find which makes them extremely expensive to rent. As a result, we have to find donors who can give $275 a month to pay for rent, food, school fees, house moms, utilities, maintenance, security, etc. It's very expensive, but these children HAVE to be placed somewhere immediately, or they may die.

Of course I wish I had $550 a month to cover both of these children, but I don't. And neither does my family. I'm asking YOU, to pray and listen to where God leads you. If you want to help sponsor Onesta and George by giving a ONE-time gift or a once a month gift, please email me. megan@familylegacy.com We can't keep the children in the program without having a sponsor. PLEASE listen to your heavenly Father. If he is tugging at your heart, be obedient. Even if it's not financial, PLEASE pray for these two children. I believe with all my heart that they will grow up to radically change the nation of Zambia.

Believe with me.