Some kids grow up dreaming big dreams. Some kids live only a life of nightmares. I believe that all kids have the right to dream. I believe that dreams are placed in our hearts by God and that we are happiest when we are following our dream.
My dream was to get to know street children and encourage them that their dreams are within reach. I knew when I read about Happy Horizons that coming here was part of my dream. What I didn’t know was that my dream was very nearly identical to that of Nancy Garrison’s. The dreams of her kids at the Ranch are so precious to her that when she talks about them, it is always with tears in her eyes. When I realized that, any doubt I had about leaving home to be with these kids vanished completely.
The very first day I arrived at the Ranch, I was asked to be the speaker during the chapel service. I had the service all planned out in my head – I would introduce myself, do a few action songs, explain that it was my dream to be at the Ranch and then talk to them about their own dreams. I was pretty confident in my plan … until I arrived and saw the kids. They were standing outside of the school, dressed in their uniforms, standing quietly in perfect lines. They seemed so put together. And when chapel started, the kids had their very own worship team – and it was really good! The kids sang and danced to the songs and then the doubts began to creep into my head – “Lindsey, what are you doing here?” “These kids are singing mature worship songs – they won’t want your childish action songs.” And for the first time since working in children’s ministry, I wanted to run out of the chapel and hide. I had thought God was bringing me here because the kids needed me, because He wanted me to help them discover their dreams. But it took only that morning of watching the kids for me to realize that the kids didn’t need me at all.
The kids don’t need me because at the Ranch, all of their intellectual, spiritual, emotional, social and physical needs are being met. They are part of a family that provides them with unconditional love and security. And the truth is that even if I wasn’t here, those needs would continue to be met. It took me only that first morning to see all the love and warmth that flowed from the kids and the staff. So, obviously, God did not bring me here because they needed me. I think instead … He brought me here because I need them.
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