3rd World Oasis in the Backyard

Maria Randall looks like Jesus!  At least she does to a posse of children who have already experienced more rejection that some folks feel in a lifetime.  Maria is the director of social services at Hope House, a day care center for children infected or affected by HIV / Aids. 

Although Hope House daycare is for children six weeks to six years old, it is much more than a typical day-care center.  A GED diploma program for adults, play therapy for children, and adult support groups are just three of 16 different programs they provide, all of them centered on helping those who are shunned by society because of HIV / Aids .

Although Hope House now consists of three adjacent homes in midtown Memphis, TN, the number of children who can participate is limited to about 35.  Sometimes, circumstances don't play by the rules.  Maria recounts, "I heard from one parent who intended to put her HIV baby in the trash, so how could I not immediately bring that baby to Hope House?  That's the kind of heart-wrenching situations that challenge the limits of what we think we can do."

HIV / Aids is the modern day equivalent to leprosy.  Because of the social stigma associated with the disease, mothers and children experience the brunt of rejection.  Their loved ones will refuse to touch them, throw away glasses from which they have drunk, and exclude them from family get-togethers.  These ingredients are added to a recipe that is already bitter with poverty, drugs, and violence.  "One of our children heard a gun shot in the night," Maria recalls.  "When she left her house in the morning to come to Hope House in our van, here was the body of a dead man in her yard."

Hope House is an oasis, perhaps the one place where love, stability, and safety are experienced by children whose circumstances have much in common with a third world country.  For Maria, who is committed to Jesus Christ as her Savior, this is just the right place to be.  She explains, "I came here for a job, but somewhere along the way it became my passion.  When I go home, I feel good because I have given dignity, respect, and love to people without regard for who they are and where they have been.  I think this is the kind of thing Jesus would do, loving and serving those for whom society has no place."

Way to go, Hope House.  Way to go, Maria!  Thanks for giving these children and their families a glimpse of Jesus' love.

Comments

[mjc]

Thank you Maria! What a precious example of love that reaches beyond any borders and penetrates the hearts of those who have gotten lost in our world. I look forward to meeting people in heaven that were impacted eternally by the work you do! Shouldn't we all be reaching across borders and making an impact for those whom the world has left behind? Thank you for your sacrifice of self and the wonderful example of looking like Jesus! It serves as a great encouragement to me!

[Jeff]

Top to bottom, Hope House is such an amazing place. There are so many awesome people that work there, just as many that volunteer. And the kids...even dealing with the tough ones, you can't help but love all of them. Christ's love is evident through the whole place. It's just so awesome!