saddened.....but encouraged

Don't you just love it when our Heavenly Father speaks to us and shows us things at the right moment? Just so awesome....shows how much HE loves us!!

This week has been hard. We have had a 17yr old who gave birth already and a 14yr old special needs student who is 7 months pregnant under our ministry at Morning Light. Both cases have given our team a not to great view of the gov't, though we know they have restricitions due to finances and honestly help. Anyway, both, due to their were reported (in Taiwan, girls who are pregnant but under 16 must be reported), and of course it was not til MUCH later that the gov't does their job. (trying to control myself here and be Christian like!). The 17 year old we find out, her case was not as simple as "meeting someone on the internet." AND it seems that her father knew about. Unfortunately, there are more and more cases of poor young girls being used to make money for their family (another story on its own and DON'T get me started!!).
The 14yr old, she does have a GREAT gov't social worker, that I will say. This worker cared enough to call us (ok....tearing up here) and tell us...."Deana, it is has taken a turn for the worse, not what we thought. Her mom lied to all of us and made her daughter lie."***sigh***I don't know who I am more mad at.....the adult relative who did this to a special needs girl or to her mom who ignored it and had her lie!!!!!
We have never run into cases like these, and then BOOM! two at one time. Though one thing Alexia said to me "maybe God is showing us there is a need for another home". We know where the two girls are being kept at, it is a home with the gov't. They have 12 beds and right now 13 girls.......where as we have 8 beds and now down to 2 girls.........nice eh?.........so don't want to get started on that!!

That was the saddened part. The encouraged part was yesterday afternoon, a local pastor came to talk to me (well, Luke is not here) about our church being a spot for "teenager welfare"....well, not welfare as we think in the USA. Let's see (after 15yrs in Taiwan, my brain doesn't function well in English!).......it will be a small center of sorts for teens. We can have classes of all kinds but it will be a place where teens come to and we go and care about them. I am really excited!!!! Then guess what....RIGHT after the pastor left.....a former foster daughter came up on her bike walked in and hugged me!!!"Hi mommy!" ***sniff sniff*** after being with us for 3 years (had rough times, rough love), she stops by. She is still in gov't care due to some circumstances. She really wants to come back and live with us, but that is not possible. BUT she will start transitioning to dormitory for school and so that is great!!!! we have more freedom to visit her and bring her to church on Sundays....I am really excited about that!!

People will call us crazy....I call myself crazy!!....... but we just do as God leads.....no one ever said following God's will will be easy, nor did anyone say you will be rich........nope.....Satan attacks via relationships, health, finances.......you know.......pray for us as we follow God's lead. It would be great to have another missionary couple or even a native couple standing beside us. We need extra help...........where is it? pray for hearts to be burdened to come and minister to Taiwan in unusual ways:-)