Old Testament Job and a 12 Year Old
Old Testament Job and a 12 Year Old
At our group home for children in Rio Vista last year, we had five children ages 4 through 11. Since then, we added capacity for 8 more.
One of them is 12 years old now….We will refer to her as B. She stayed with us from August 2019 through December 2021. Her biological mother is now serving a 2 year prison term for the sexual exploitation she and her boyfriend inflicted on B and her 3 older siblings… starting when B was 6 years old. The boyfriend is serving a 10 year prison term for the same offenses.
Prior to B’s stay with us, the mother had kept her out of school for over a year and a half. B’s 3 older siblings had been kept out of school for over 4 years, are now young adults and never finished middle school.
The one ray of sunshine B had was her father. Her father was not in a financial condition to allow B to live with him but B saw him each weekend. B was definitely a Daddy’s girl. On the morning of March 20, 2020, B’s father died of respiratory failure. That evening, her uncle Adam and I had to tell B of her father’s passing. It was a very very difficult task.
B has had very few good things in her young life… she has had major medical issues over the years, has had open heart surgery, cleft surgery and lived in poverty almost her entire life.
Despite all this, she remained a happy ebullient young lady and was always laughing and joking with us and her peers. She responded well to our group home and her grades at school were all A’s and B’s.
I am proud of how the adults and the children in the group home rallied around B and offered her their prayers, love and friendship to help her get through this very difficult time.
Last December, B moved in with her Uncle Adam and his wife Ashley in Weatherford and has strongly attached to Ashley as a substitute mother. B’s grades in school are now all A’s and the school is moving her into Advanced Placement courses on all the core subjects
We would appreciate the prayers for B from any who read this.