Combating Compassion Fatigue
In our January newsletter, I introduced you to a 15-year-old mother named Bonita, an orphan I met on a recent trip to Central African Republic. When I left, I knew that the little help Julie’s Heart Cry had provided for her was not enough.
But I was excited she would have the opportunity to learn a business skill at a resource center in the village of Bimon that our ministry is helping fund. This would enable her to provide for herself and her now 1-year-old boy, Emmanuel.
In mid-March, I received a message from our country program director that Bonita was facing a new challenge. When I visited Bonita last December, she was living with her aunt, her only remaining relative. Unfortunately, Bonita has been evicted from her aunt's house in a desperate attempt to avoid an arranged marriage – imposed by her aunt. The intended husband is known to be an abusive man.
Running out of options
Bonita used the donated funds from JHC to pay rent and start a small business to provide for herself and Emmanuel. But no matter how hard she works, she is unable to earn enough to continue paying her rent and care for her baby’s needs. Please remember, she is only 15 years old, friends!
Abandoning her baby boy and going on with life is not an option, so she contacted me. "You are my last resort effort,” she said. “I have no one to turn to for help."
This ministry’s heart cry is committed to ensuring our biblical convictions are lived out when we encounter cruel treatment.
As I reflect on this teenage mother and many more like her, I'm allowing Psalm 72:12-13 to guide my heart when it says,
“For He will deliver the needy when he cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.”
We can see the heart of God clearly laid out for us in the Scripture above. And as followers of Jesus, we are His hands and feet. God expects us to help the needy and the poor, like Bonita and her son, during this critical time in her life.
As you would expect, JHC responded swiftly.
Resource center offers hope
Girls like Bonita are one of the reasons I am so excited about the first resource center our ministry partner, Paradigm Foundation, is building. This center will empower women and child-mothers like Bonita to be self-sustaining for years to come by the grace of God.
The center will offer classes in tailoring, discipleship, post-abortive Bible study, adult literacy and more. Currently, the building has only one large classroom, and with a community of nearly 3,000 women, additional rooms are needed.
Please pray that Bonita does not get discouraged due to the multiple disappointments from people who could – but would not – help her. Together, friends, we will commit to changing lives – one girl and one woman at the time.
If you would like to make a donation toward expanding the resource center, please click on the “Donate” button at the top right of this page and choose “Self-Sustainability” as your option. If you would like more information on this project, you can contact me at juliesheartcry@gmail.com or (434) 941-2479.