*The children in the photo are not necessarily the children in the story.
Being 12 years old and pregnant is probably one of the worst things you could imagine for a young girl. No more hope. No more future. No more innocence. This girl’s opportunities for a successful life were taken away. Her chances of a completed education are slim. Her chances of living above the poverty line are no more. The possibility of finding a husband who will accept her baby is not likely. But unfortunately, being pregnant at 12 is not the deplorable part of this story. The horrifying part is who the father of the baby is.
Unbelievably, this story gets worse. You see, the pregnant girl is one of three daughters that could have been impregnated by their father. The one who happened to get pregnant is a twin. The other sister is 11. So in reality, any of the three could be carrying their father’s baby. All three were at risk of doing so in the future. Because all three were being raped by the man who is supposed to be their protecter.
The good news is the three girls were rescued. The bad news is only two came to Shadow. The new mother is still in the hospital with her baby/sister. She will not be joining her sisters at Shadow, but instead will be taken to another home. This is heartbreaking to say the least, but also necessary. We pray the sisters will be reunited as some point, but we don’t know when or where. We also pray that Shadow will be able to accommodate young pregnant teens in the future. In fact, it’s something we must do. The need is too great. The delay too long.
The words “no hope” and “no future” used above, only apply to the physical life of this victim. There is “a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11) in the spiritual life of this child, if she gives her life to the Lord. We can only pray she does. This is why we must pray for the resources to support young girls who find themselves in similar situations. The calls to accept pregnant teens at Shadow come frequently. And the answer is always a very painful “no”.
The dream is there. The call is there. The desire is there. But the resources are not. A new home must be built. It will be named Casa Maria (Mary) after another unwed pregnant teen you may have heard of. House grandparents must be found. They will help these young mothers raise their child, show them how to parent in a Godly manner, and teach them the love and patience of Jesus. Generations will be altered for the better and futures will be changed forever. Physically and spiritually.
