just the beginning

Michael, Tracy, Brennan & Sawyer Moore; Brian, Melissa,
Emily & William Bozeman; Lindsey Kersey

This is my seventh attempt at writing a blog post about our recent trip to Santo Domingo. It has taken two weeks to process the different emotions experienced and to decide how to best present it without writing a novel. There is more to share than space to write! The Moore family, the Bozeman family, and Lindsey Kersey spent five amazing days in early January getting to know the Dominican way of life while visiting Casa Amor, the children's home funded by No Longer. Casa Amor is located in the neighborhood of Brisas in the capital city of Santo Domingo. It was a wonderful trip that exceeded every expectation we had before going. My family has started saving to go back, and that time can't get here soon enough! Brennan, Sawyer, Emily and William completely embraced the culture and rolled with whatever we were doing. Not a one of us got sick, thank goodness, but maybe it's because we ate pizza every single day! The accommodations, transportation and translator arranged by SCORE were just what we needed. We were ready for our next trip before we even left for home on this one, and our hope is for other families to join us!


 

The obvious highlight and purpose of the trip was spending quality time with the twelve precious children living at Casa Amor. What a dream come true and so surreal at the same time. I am thankful one of us snapped a photo on a camera phone the first time our van pulled into the gate. It is a moment we will never forget. Having no idea what to expect, we were greeted by the sight of smiling, waving kids we had never met but felt like we already knew! Pastor Altagracias and Trace, our GO Project partner, were the first to shake our hands and make introductions. I was overwhelmed in the moment as I looked around to find us standing in a pocket of the Dominican Republic with two people we had been trading phone calls and emails with for almost three years, surrounded by the fruits of our combined labor. What a moment to share together! After hearing Altagracias' testimony and getting to know Trace, I can say this with complete certainty: No Longer is working in the right place, with the right people, and doing the right thing. God knew what He was doing all along!

There are so many things to say about the kids living at Casa Amor. We will be introducing each of them in future posts, but generally speaking, they are kids who are very much like my own children. They like to play and make jokes, they want attention, they deal with sibling rivalry! They like to win when they play basketball, dominos or bingo. They jumped on the Rainbow Loom bandwagon and danced to Taylor Swift!

Kids are going to be kids no matter their circumstances, but there is a very big difference between the orphaned kids and our own kids. At some point in their lives, the kids we met were failed and forgotten by the very people who should be there for them. Parents and family members have let them down because of death, neglect, abandonment, illness, drug addiction or worse. Despite painful backgrounds, they are resilient and are learning they are worthy of being loved. They are finding that love inside the walls of Casa Amor. By simply arriving at Casa Amor, they are no longer orphans. They have found a family, even if it's an unconventional family. Their family is made up of mommas who love them and care for them, a church family led by Altagracias who provides for their needs and includes them as church members, and even the security guard they fondly refer to as "Papa." They are learning they have a Heavenly Father who loves them more than they can imagine. It is a beautiful picture, and there is so much hope in the redemptive story being played out in their lives.

The Casa Amor family welcomed a new member on our last day, and we were able to see the family in action. William ran into the common area where we were sitting and shouted, "There's a new kid!" We didn't believe him, but sure enough, nine-year-old Yeinnsy was being welcomed by his new brothers and sisters! As heartbreaking as it was to witness his grandmother leaving him, we knew he was where he needed to be. The way the mommas and kids reacted to his appearance gave us so much hope for his future. They invited him to join their games, and big brother Deigo helped  him get settled in his new room. I also have no doubt God orchestrated the timing so we would be there to see it. 






 

In his book Radical, David Platt writes,

“We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.”

 

Meeting the thirteen kids who have found a family at Casa Amor has been a game-changer for all of us. We are more determined than ever to be their advocates and to be a voice for Rosie, Diego, Richard, Vianny, Marianny, Junior, Adrian, Millie, Hans, Yeinnsy, Carmen, Edwyn, and Carlito. We have seen their faces, we have held them in our arms, and we love them. It's as simple as that. 

These 8 boys moved in the week after we left for home. We can't wait to meet them!

We will be introducing the kids and mommas to you in the coming weeks. We also can't wait to give you a virtual tour of the Casa Amor property and the Brisas neighborhood. While you wait, please join us in praying for the kids, the mommas and Pastor Altagracias. If you are interested in contributing to the monthly support of Casa Amor, click here. The ongoing cost to support one orphan includes their food, education, clothing, medicine, and pays for the "mommas" who live with and care for the orphans daily.

Thank you for being a part of the No Longer family and putting Psalm 82:3-4 into action:

"Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless;

maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Rescue the weak and needy;

deliver them from the hand of the wicked."