Children's lives are transformed as you reach out

On Sunday, August 11, the girls from Camp Duncan joined me in sharing the “BCH Story” at Rocky Hock Baptist Church. It was a wonderful day! What made it wonderful? The courage of the girls to share and the amazing way the people of Rocky Hock embraced the girls and the many ministries we provide. When I shared that we had touched more than 94,000 lives last year, there was an audible gasp of surprise that we were caring for so many in need. When they heard the good news that 669 had made professions of faith in the last five years, they clapped with joy and celebration –– praising God for what He is doing in the lives of the boys and girls He entrusted to us.

I began to walk through our many ministries sharing how each ministry is impacting those in need. I shared a story of a single mom receiving help at our Family Care home in Ahoskie –– a mom who had broken the bonds of poverty and abuse, graduated from Chowan University, and is now teaching. The story touched them in a special

way because they had personally been a part of helping her.

The story of four children coming from an opioid addiction situation grabbed their hearts.

It was in the middle of the night when the children arrived on our campus. They were dirty, hungry and frightened. They had been through so much trauma. The houseparents had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and milk on the table when they walked in the cottage. After eating, they were shown their bed rooms which was a new experience for these children. They had been sleeping on the floor. The houseparents patted backs and helped the children get to sleep. Later in the early morning hours, the house mother walked in to check on the children to find one of the little boys asleep with his blanket on the floor. His housemother scooped him up and placed him back on the bed and began to pat his back until he was once again asleep. As I shared, there were tears being shed all over the congregation as they heard the hurt of these boys and girls.

More importantly, there was joy and celebration as they heard of the transformation taking place in the lives of these precious children. In Mark 10:13 -16, Jesus demonstrates how important children are and the importance of being present in the moment. In the final verse, Jesus picks the children up in His arms, places his hands on them, and blesses them. As I looked across the congregation, I was so grateful that they too understood God’s calling on their hearts to care for the least of these, the calling to bear each other’s burdens.

The Camp Duncan girls joined me on the platform and what followed was amazing. The