“These are the days of great triumph”

Today is my third Monday in Monterey, Mexico. When I think back on my past two mission trips to this amazing place I see how much God has changed in my life… Growing up I didn’t have a father, and my mother was always working to support myself and my two older siblings. There was no real connection there, and I learned that the best way to deal with emotions and problems was to internalize them, because nobody cared/ did anything about it. I’ll come back to this thought later on… When you come to Monterey they give you lessons on Trauma Competent Care, or TCC, to help you deal with children dealing with abuse or neglect. In these lessons they teach that the best way for these children who have emotional and social problems to heal is through forming a relationship with somebody they can love or trust, somebody who cares about them. Just like me a lot of these children didn’t have a father growing up, and if they did he was a negative presence in their life. Nobody has spoken into these children and told them that they are loved, they have a purpose and that they have a father who loves them no matter what!

                I feel blessed with the things God has done in my life, from giving me new parents who love me and support me in everything I do, to giving me the opportunity to go to college (something neither of my parents had done). Through these relationships and this attention and care that God has put in my life I feel like I have been healed, something I never would have realized without having attended tcc training. As I play with these kids this week I remember what my parents have given me, and hope that, just maybe, a little bit of that blessing and peace can be passed on to these kids through love and play.

(For some reason I keep thinking of the song “Days of Elijah”, which says “These are the days of great triumph”, but I digress)

By: Nate Dillow