Come Home

The faces of the children in Moldova reveal the suffering they've endured. For so many of them their young lives have been completely devoid of any warmth or love or care or even direction.

Many of them arrive in the night, having been picked up by police - found wandering the streets; lost, confused and hungry. They've been carted across borders, sometimes literally in crates. They have no identification papers and due to the absence of any schooling or education, only what they learned from their parents, who sometimes have virtually no education at all, the child is incapable of even telling where they're from. And it's certain there will have been no missing child report filed with authorities, because it was probably the male figure in the household who sold the child for food, money and alcohol.

When a child arrives, a houseparent instinctively knows not to ask 'where is home?' There isn't one. And when they're brought to us, it's a gut-wrenching fact they seldom show fear on their faces. I'll never forget the words a child said to me several years ago: ' You can't be afraid of something that has already happened.'

So herein begins their new lives. Granted, it may not be a Norman Rockwell image, but it will start with the most important elements of life- the foundations. There is warmth, care, encouragement, the understanding of mutual respect and boundaries - both personal and interactive. And most importantly there will be the most solid foundation of all, the anchor of a home that is built upon Christ's love.

It is that anchor that will carry them the rest of their lives. No matter what the 'bump' or what the challenge, whether they're 10 or 20 years old, the old house will be theirs to come 'home' to. Long after they've been placed with a loving family, and even possibly grow up to have their own children, they will know where they found safety, security, and the message of Christ's love.

I firmly believe we all too easily sanitise the image of Jesus and the children and turn it into an image of softness and bliss. Personally, I agree with Philippe Aries' historical perception of Jesus.

However we may perceive Christ's birth, either through the stories of wise men and stars and so on, or pathetic child born of a disgraced mother in a grotty shed, what is undeniable is that Jesus lived, grew up as an outstanding teacher, healed the sick, embraced the lives of children, and then because He got in the way of the powerful and religious, died a painful death on the cross.

It was then that rumours started appearing that He was alive and many claimed to have seen Him. The church began and the same experience of Resurrection in the lives of millions began to reveal itself. And we pray that all whom we reach in our own lives become able to know and live this message.

Of course, having such an anchor does not mean that our troubles end. The point about an anchor is that it holds the frail vessel when the storms rage around us. Our security lies not in us but in the love, mercy and goodness of God.

Whatever our resolutions and whatever our journey may be for this coming year, may God, who called us out of darkness, into His marvellous light, bless us and fill us with His mission of peace.

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