Dear Praying Friends
          When Susi* was young, her mom had to travel to Costa Rica to find work. This happens frequently here, but Susi’s mom didn’t know how to make it work with a young child so she left her with Susi’s great grandmother. Being an older woman and losing patience with a young child, she decided to tie Susi to a chair when she was a nuisance or not behaving well. This began to happen more often until Susi learned that she wasn’t going to get free of the chair even to relieve herself. She spent days in her own filth. Her mom came home from Costa Rica and Susi was happy to be back with her mom. When work again became scarce, her mom began to plan another trip, but this time Susi was going since she was older now. At first Costa Rica seemed like a new start, but her mom liked to go out to parties and it was difficult with a young child. When Susi didn’t obey or cried, her mom would hit her. Once she even broke her nose. Susi’s grandmother became aware of the situation and invited Susi to live with her. For the first time in her young life, she found love. Her grandmother wasn’t perfect, but her home lacked the abuse that Susi had experienced. She began to find peace in her new life and got to know her grandmother and her step-grandfather. Everything seemed normal, like what she'd always heard families were supposed to be. But one night, while her grandmother was out, her grandfather raped her. Relative after relative took Susi in for a time since her mom was still in Costa Rica. A cousin kept Susi with her family almost a year until her husband’s job transferred him to El Salvador. Susi wasn’t invited to move with them. Her cousin had realized that Susi had been flirting with her husband, and no one wanted to invite more trouble. Her cousin mentioned to other family members that Susi needed a place to stay or she would have to be given over to the Nicaraguan Ministry of the Family to live in a girls’ reformatory. God touched the heart of one of her cousins who is a member in one of our churches. This cousin who will take Susi in this week brought her to church to a youth meeting. And there, Susi found Jesus.
          Pray for this 13 year old girl and her cousin and for the many stories like hers. Some of our children and youth live lives that destroy them piece by piece. Praise God that Susi was able to hear the truth and for many others who have come to know Him. A 10 year old boy sent me a note this Sunday to tell me that he wouldn’t be in Sunday School because his mom had kicked him out of the house. She changed her mind, praise God! Please be in prayer for our children - that we would be discerning enough to know when there's a problem and to do what Jesus would have us do.

Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Mark 10:14

And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he were cast into the sea. Mark 9:42

* name changed