A Transformed Family
In the spring of 2003, a little girl in a very depressed area of Bakersfield, California, got an invitation. Susanna, 8, was new to the area, and her short life had been filled with hard things. Her large family had been burned out of their last home, and they were now living in a relative’s garage. Both her parents had unsavory pasts, with addictions, gang activities and trouble with the law. Her father had been injured and was on disability — the family struggled financially. Cynthia, a friendly girl in Susanna’s new class, invited her to come to S.A.Y. Yes! after school. S.A.Y. Yes! is the biblically-based curriculum Here’s Life has developed for inner-city churches, and a neighborhood church had opened a S.A.Y. Yes! Center a few years before. Susanna thrived at S.A.Y. Yes!, and it wasn’t long before she opened her heart to the Lord. Her S.A.Y. Yes! mentor and the pastor of the church worked to develop relationships with Susanna’s parents, and soon both of them prayed, asking Christ into their lives. The family began to be enfolded into the church, and their lives grew more stable. Susanna’s mom got a job, and even her dad was able to find work he could physically handle. Though they had been together 18 years, Susanna’s parents had never married. However, with their new life, the pastor performed their wedding. Two of Susanna’s brothers started coming to S.A.Y. Yes!, and they too came to faith. The children were tutored in schoolwork, practical living skills and character development, and grades at school for all three shot way up. Two older brothers, too old for S.A.Y. Yes!, became active in the church’s youth group. The parent’s past came back to haunt them, and for a time each was in jail. But they remained strong in their faith, sharing it with others. In spite of a tormented past and a difficult present, Susanna’s family continues to move forward in their new lives. One evening recently there was a celebration at the church, and the joyful realization came that 20 members of Susanna’s family had come to Christ! And it all started when Cynthia invited her to come to S.A.Y. Yes! back in 2003. |
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It’s amazing what can happen in just 3½ years.