I'd like to tell you about a divine appointment that God led me to three weeks ago.
As my children and I were leaving the community center, we passed a seventeen-year-old Haitian girl who was seated on the sidewalk, clearly sad. This was my first time meeting Mandy (*name changed), a young woman who lives in Pontezuela, where Jubilee Community Center is located. I rolled down my window and asked if she was all right. She burst out crying.
I got out of the car and came to a halt. "What's the matter?" I inquired. Mandy took a few moments to open up. Her parents are strong practitioners of Haitian voodoo, despite her recent conversion to Christ. They had kicked her out of the house after learning of her decision. She was now wandering the streets of a foreign country with nowhere to go and no Spanish language skills to make a life for herself in the Dominican Republic.
Still, I had the impression that she was troubled by something other than what she had shared. "Did anything else happen?" I asked, certain she had more to say.
Mandy began to cry even more. "I don't know if I can trust you," she finally said. "I'm not sure I can tell you."
I told her I was the father of three girls, two older than her and one younger… and a pastor at the church down the street. "I am really sorry. I can only imagine the pain you’re going through," I said, "you remind me of my daughters."
She revealed her secret after her tears had dried. Her parents had forced her to be with a man she did not want to be with, and now she was pregnant. Now they want her to have an abortion.
However, Mandy, this new young believer, had a personal encounter with Jesus. She had a dream in which the Lord instructed her not to abort the child and encouraged her to believe in Christ. Her refusal to obey her parents about the abortion was the final straw that caused them to kick her out of the house.
Young Mandy refused to waver in her faith and chose to obey what the Lord had told her. Her faith, obedience to the Lord, and willingness to hear God's voice are all inspiring to me. Even as a young believer, she demonstrates maturity in Christ by overcoming a difficult situation in which many more experienced believers would struggle.
Mandy is willing to suffer for the sake of her faith. She is willing to obey Christ even if it means a difficult life. She is without a safety net. What would you and I do in a similar situation? Are we willing to risk a life of homelessness in a foreign land while caring for a child of our rape in order to be obedient to Jesus Christ?
Our church is now doing everything possible to assist Mandy. We are working to identify her needs and find ways to meet them as she develops her relationship with Christ and cares for the new life that is growing within her.
By partnering and giving to the ministry of ICM and Jubilee Community Center, you help continue to impact the lives of many Mandys in our community. Your prayers and financial support enable us to identify these needs and have the resources to provide solutions. Thank you for coming alongside us to see lives and communities transformed.
Stanley J. Philippe
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