Abandoned at age 7. Left to fend for herself. Instead of finding herself in first-grade, she found work in a home. Someone else’s home. They provided food, shelter, and occasionally clothing. All in exchange for work. She cleaned, she helped cook, she washed clothes, she did what ever was asked. Or she didn’t eat. To the owners of the house she was the help. But in reality she was a slave.
She wanted to escape. She wanted to tell. But who would believe her? She had no witnesses, no friends, no family. She was shy and quiet. Soft-spoken and meek. And scared. Life on the streets was worse than this. No place to sleep, no place to hide. It was dangerous out there. Especially for a child. So she worked. And she slaved. She did what she was told and she did it without complaint. That was her personality and that was her fate. If her own parents would abandon her, then she must deserve this life. She was unworthy of better. Her owners told her frequently.
She was not allowed to play with the other children of the home. They were better than her. She was there to serve them, not enjoy them. They bossed her, they beat her. All while the mother watched. Over time the abuse worsened. The extent of it still unknown and untold. But as things got worse, they got better. Sometimes God gives us pain and infirmities to improve our situation. And that’s exactly what He did in hers.
She started having leg pains. Pains that rendered her bed-ridden. The pain reached the point where the owners had to put her out. They didn’t want to pay for a doctor or hospital, so they just put her out. In the streets. Again. But this was a blessing in disguise. You see without the leg pains, she may still be working in that home. Still a slave. Only God knows. But what we do know is that she is no longer a slave. She is free. Not from the leg pains, they still come and go. And not from the blood clots that cause the pain. But there is medicine for that.
We also know that nearly a year ago, she almost died. Had she not been at Shadow, she probably would have. Her blood type is rare and without the resources to find and buy the correct type, she would have bled to death. Without the doctors that donate their time and talents to Shadow she wouldn’t even know her diagnosis. God takes actions meant for evil to bring about good in the lives of those who love him. Her story is a great example of this principle.
The best way to end this story is to read the words of the slave girl. “Now that I’m in the Project, I know God. I am taught about him, and I am now a person who can take care of myself. I have been shown love in my workplace and in my home. I am healthy and I am safe. I am also grateful to the James Project because I now have a family. I love my house parents and the girls in my house. I am especially grateful to God for giving me a wonderful family. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve all of this.”
The truth is, she doesn’t deserve it. None of us do. It’s only through the blood of Christ and His love for us that we are cherished in his eyes. This precious young lady is no longer a slave to a family and no longer a slave to sin. She is a princess in the family of the King. And will serve no one but Him.
