Casa Elizabeth

Saturday was a really special day at NLCH as we dedicated the new girls' home unit. There are so many ways that this children's home is a living, physical example of abundant life in the midst of some very desperate surroundings, and this new house is one of those examples. The picture on the left is of where the girls have lived, and on the right is the new house. (It looks even better now that it's completely finished and has some landscaping in front.)

Aside from being impressive because it's probably the nicest building in Villa Nueva, it's also wonderful to see how much the girls are enjoying living there. As Kendon said, for their entire lives before coming to the home, these girls were cast aside and treated as if they didn't deserve much- and a lot of them have felt unworthy to move into such a nice new house. Our prayer is that the opportunity they've been given to live in this "mansion" can help them to realize how much they are treasured by God and how He, the King, desires to lavish His love upon them.

The naming of the house is also a moving story. Elizabeth Hughes was born in 1976 with Spina Bifida, and the doctors told her parents that she would only live 5 or 6 years. She proved them wrong and lived an inspirational life for 26 years. When she passed away in 2002, her parents wanted to do something that would honor the kind of joy she brought to others and the way that she loved children. When they heard about the need for new home units at NLCH, they decided to start the Elizabeth Fund to raise the necessary money for the construction of the first house. Over the last 4 years (along with their congregation of about 30 people) they did everything they could think of to raise the funds, and the Lord blessed their efforts. It was an honor to meet Elizabeth's parents and grandmother (pictured below) at the dedication.