BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

while the child cried for the only parents she'd ever known. "I'm going to hold your hand through every triumph and every struggle," Melinda said. "We're here. We're not going to let you go." They talked to her all the way home. Walking inside their home, they were greeted by their three dogs: a little Maltipoo, a medium sized Wheaten terrier and a 168-pound Great Dane. As they sniƒ ed her, Olivia tickled the Great Dane's neck. "Tickle, tickle, tickle!" she said, laughing. She never cried again. It was as if she knew she was home. Even the evaluators who came to do home surveys saw it. "It's like she's always been here—like she's always been part of your family," they said. "It's amazing." Ben and Melinda believe that's the work of the Holy Spirit. They'd spent years praying for Olivia's peace of mind, her emotional stability and her health. "Olivia had a half-brother who was born addicted to methamphetamines," Melinda explains. "Yet, Olivia was born to the same addicted mother and was perfectly healthy. She was not addicted to drugs. She never suƒ ered any damage from her birth mother's lifestyle. We have proof of that in her records. It's a miracle. "We used everything we had collected for Olivia over the years, except the curtains. Olivia loves pink so those curtains wouldn't work. She is a ray of sunshine. She has a huge personality. When someone comes to the house, she walks up and introduces herself. "She also loves her friends at the Child Learning Center, the day care facility at KCM. She is everything we hoped for—and more. "Partnership with KCM means everything to us. I can't imagine going through the challenges we did without them. I would have thought that God was punishing us because we weren't worthy to be parents. Instead, we learned that we'd been adopted into the family of faith, with full benefi ts. One of the most important things we learned through KCM was this: No one can keep what God has said is yours!" The world has much to say about your children these days—and most of it is bad. We're being told their economic futures are bleak, their ethics are waning and, for the most part, they're on a downward slide. But if you've made Jesus Lord of your life, God has something very diƒ erent to say about your children. He says they're headed for heaven, not hell. For a blessing, not a curse. So ignore the world and trust the Word. It has the power to turn your children's lives around! Here are some scriptures that will help you stay focused on God's promises regarding your children. "Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and [your children] shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border." (Jer. 31:16-17) "And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children." (Isa. 54:13) "...The seed of the righteous shall be delivered." (Prov. 11:21) "Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed." (Ps. 112:1-2) "...I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children." (Isa. 49:25) "The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works." (Ps. 145:9) "...I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring." (Isa. 44:3) "As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever." (Isa. 59:21) WORDS OF FAITH FOR YOUR CHILDREN W B V O V : 1 9 To order copies: 1-877-480-3388 6 a.m.-4 p.m. PT, M-F

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