Children’s home opens cottages to leadership program for intercultural youth

Posted: 2/29/08

Children’s home opens cottages to
leadership program for intercultural youth

By Vicki Hewitt

South Texas Children’s Home

BEEVILLE—Donors’ dollars benefited multiple ministries, thanks to a partnership between South Texas Children’s Home and a Baptist General Convention of Texas leadership-training ministry for young people from varied ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

When Dorothy Bobbitt wrote out her check to South Texas Children’s Home last year, she thought of the children there and whispered a prayer. Helping provide food, shelter and a loving Christian environment for children who need it always brings her joy. What Bobbitt couldn’t know was the other Baptist ministries her dollars would support as God multiplied her investment.

Recently, the children’s home opened its cottage doors to a group of 125 students from the Leadership Training Institute, a BGCT ministry for older high school and college students in intercultural churches in Houston and Dallas. The institute offers Bible study, accountability, mentoring and mission trip opportunities for students involved.

The Mystery of God Weekend event was modeled after the popular Disciple Now program and was expanded to include younger children, adult staff and houseparents, as well.

Becky Moore, STCH director of student ministries, said the children and youth living at the children’s home couldn’t wait for the intercultural students from the institute to arrive.

“The students from LTI are very accepting of STCH kids,” Moore said. “They emulate Christ’s love and acceptance, and our kids need to experience that from others outside the world of STCH.”

Cathy Dundas of the BGCT agreed that STCH has been a wonderful partnership for the young people involved in the institute. The campus provides an opportunity for intercultural students to apply newly formed leadership skills in an environment outside their local churches.

Sarah Ven, an 18-year-old University of Texas student, came to STCH that weekend to serve as small group leader for 9th and 10th grade girls. Sarah is the first American-born child in her Cambodian family. She’s been a member of the institute since its inception in 2006. Although apprehensive at first, she quickly realized that God was doing something special in the lives of the girls she came to serve and in her own life as well.

“The weekend really opened up my emotions to how easy it is to love someone,” Sarah said. “The girls opened up so much during our small group time. They didn’t hold back and were really seeking. I learned to open up more myself and it was really amazing. No matter who we are, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and fellowship is so important.

“The kids are so young, but it is amazing what STCH has done for them. They know that God is the One to look to for help.”

Matthew Pa, a 21-year-old college student of Cambodian descent, served as the 7th and

8th grade boys’ group leader. He expected the typical leadership experience where he would “start conversation, interact with kids, and just hang out with them.” Instead, Pa said, he learned that part of the mystery of God is how he uses people and situations to teach Christians more about who he is and how he wants to use them.

“A few days before and throughout the weekend at STCH I was in such a battle with myself, arguing whether I liked this place or not and not liking it because of the reasons the kids have to be here,” he said.

“But this world is corrupt and a place like STCH helps kids who need it. I wasn’t sure what the struggle was and there were times when I felt sad for no reason and was fighting to keep tears from falling. It didn’t make sense to me because I’d never experienced this feeling before. I remember it so clearly because it was the start of a change for me.”

During the Sunday evening worship service, Pa recalled being overcome with emotion. Weak-kneed and fighting back tears, he gathered with his cottage group for prayer.

“After the service, I wrote a small letter to this family and headed to their cottage… leaving words of encouragement with them,” he recalled. “I had never been able to have the courage to go up to someone the way I was doing that night. When I arrived at the house, the house dad came out. I said something like, ‘It is a great thing for you to be here and for these kids to have people like you guys.’

“My voice cracked and I couldn’t speak any more, so I handed him the letter. He said, ‘thank you’ and gave me a hug. I knew at that point, walking back to the chapel, that I had really grown as a person.”

“God really broke the hearts of the intercultural LTI students that weekend for the real difficulties the STCH kids have gone through in their lives,” Dundas shared. “Through that brokenness, God is raising up even more compassionate and competent leaders. I appreciate the opportunity to work with STCH and see the life changes in all the students that participated.”

Before the Mystery of God Weekend retreat ended, STCH youth and institute students tackled the ropes challenge course at Zephyr Baptist Camp on Lake Corpus Christi near Mathis.

There, the bond between the students from different worlds grew even stronger as they cheered each other on and found the courage to climb to new heights together—physically and spiritually.