Looking inside a Safe House one would begin to wonder where to begin with the sparrows. We have read their history, heard some of their fears, and even looked into the deep set eyes of pain and insecurity. Would it be best to play music? Maybe I should cook a special meal and HOPE she loves it. It would always be safe to just listen to her and talk less. Each sparrow is an individual. She has her own hurts, experiences, trauma, and abuse. Though she may have been trafficked only a few months or a year, what is in her trunk of childhood? Is she another sparrow that has no father, raped by a family member, or traveled through foster care? We have come to realize that they bring much more into the Safe House than immediate trafficking damage.
We as a married couple have one approach that seems to break the ice for us and warm up the sparrows, that is Galen our dog. He is a mix breed known as a Maltichon. That is half Maltese and half Bichon. This breed of dog is known as lap dogs. They are gentle, huggable, and adorable. Galen was raised in a maternity home of pregnant teens and young adults. He was coddled, carried, slept with, and knew when a baby was on the way! His name came from the maternity home and it means, “calm healer”. We noticed that though we are not in a maternity home, the needs of the broken, fearful hearts of sparrows need the same attributes from Galen, the calm healer, comfort. They need to hold a sweet, loveable, cuddly, fluffy white dog who can only listen and accept them. Not everyone likes dogs, but to our surprise, no sparrows have been able to resist “the Calm Healer”. Each married RA couple has a comfort dog too. There is Bonzie and Max to keep the dog therapy going inside the Safe House.
Often times the need for comfort will come in other ways. Sometimes it is their very favorite meal or food. Everyone has that special food that they LOVE. Though we often can’t prepare it quite like they have had it prepared, just the effort and attempt to provide that comfort is all they need. Having a choice in some meal preps and snacks means so much when away from home for another year; IF there even is a home to return to. Holidays open the gates wide for fun traditions, special foods, gifts, and games that will often comfort when our sparrows are away from what they last called home. Some have NEVER had those special holiday joys and decoration where the house is full of color, sweet smells, and often gifts for our sparrows.
As our sparrows begin to settle into the Safe House, we notice they will eventually slip into their PJs and fluffy sock, snuggling up with a soft, fluffy comforter to a movie that can teach life lessons, encourage new ideas, and bring lots of laughs. We are not sure they realize the softness of the couch and what they have wrapped themselves in, but we can see they are comforted from the harsh abuse, neglect, and punishments they left. To see these well deserving sparrows safe, peaceful, and comforted is our blessing.
Recently, one of our sparrows shared her horrific experience of a still birth while in trafficking. Aware that she has not been able to talk about it, celebrate her child, or grieve her loss, we stepped into action. What started out to be a small step towards her grief and to bring comfort, ended up being a huge rock moved in her hidden cavern of pain. She did embrace our efforts that ranged from an engraved Bible with her daughter’s name on it to special framing of her first bonnet and photos at birth.We began to see the dark, cold, cavern had been opened to the light as the refreshing
Ministry of Comfort swept over her broken heart.
This is a SMALL peek into the opportunities we have inside the Safe House, the Ministry of Comfort. Each RA married or single brings comfort each rotation. Some RAs listen, others cook, some play, some arrange special opportunities the sparrow never dreamed would happen in her life. It is fun, challenging, and ever present as we enter the healing environment of our Safe House. There will always be sparrows, there will always be the need for comfort. It’s a ministry that can be so natural and second nature to us, but often overlooked if we are looking for the BIG thing to do for the sparrows. Small things can be BIG things to the heart that is broken and beat up by life and others. It’s easy to say that by watching our dogs, we have learned the Ministry of Comfort to the sparrows of the Redeemed Ministry.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is full of mercy and all comfort. He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
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