Little Will now comes running with a big hug for Ericka whenever the Children’s Home Director visits the Vida Children’s Home. But it wasn’t always that way. Ericka remembers that he used to scream whenever a “stranger” came to visit (even those who would come regularly to care for the children).
But the nannies and the others at the Vida Children’s Home kept praying for Will and showing him how much he was loved and cared for. And as time went by, as Ericka says, “He began to open up his little heart.” He began to feel loved and accepted and protected.
Today, Ericka describes Will as the heart of the party at the Vida Children’s Home. He’s gregarious and friendly, and he confidently proclaims “this is my home!”
With tears in her eyes, Ericka explains how much it means for Will to say “this is my home”:
“A child is not going to lie,” she says, “if a child doesn’t feel good, they’re not going to want to be here. But he wants to be here. And that’s marvelous. That’s a work of the Lord. And that fills my heart. He is a life changed.”
There are nine other children in the children’s home right now whose lives are being changed. The youngest is a newborn who just arrived this weekend, and the oldest is 7 years old, part of a sibling group who are all in the home.
Would you pray for all the children at the Vida Children’s Home, as well as the nannies and all the other staff who are pouring love into these little lives that have been touched by heartache and trauma at such a young age? And praise God for the lives that we have seen changed at the Vida Children’s Home.
(Ericka shared more of the joys and heartache of the Vida Children’s Home at our VidaLive event last month. If you’d like to hear more, here’s the recording. Our last VidaLive event of the year will take place on November 17th, and will touch on all things construction – including the construction currently taking place at the Children’s Home.)