Family Complications

Family - like Irma Bombeck once said, the ties that bind and gag. Of all our relationships in the world it is family relationships that often prove to be the most complicated, frustrating and sometimes heartbreaking. That certainly is no exception here in Bolivia. With the loose moral standards and societal pressure on young girls to have sexual relationships before marriage it is no wonder that family ties can become difficult.

Yesterday I ran into a lady who attends one of our churches. She was with her 16 year old daughter who used to always attend with her but has not been at church for quite some time. "Felipa" (not her real name) after exchanging some small talk began to tell me about her family.situation. She is the mother of five or six children. The first two were not fathered by her husband. (Not an unusual situation in Bolivia.) A sense of animosity had developed between the older daughter and the step-father. It grew to the point where the older daughter left home and had no desire to return because of the resentment and hatred she felt for her step-father. That was when she also stopped coming to church. Felipa's heart was broken for both her daughter and her husband. But the depth of faith that Felipa has in the Lord's ability to work things out is amazing. After time and much prayer by Felipa, both the step-father and the daughter were able to forgive each other and have the hatred and resentment cleansed away by the Lord. Felipa was very happy as she told me this. But now the second daughter is experiencing some of the same issues and is making poor choices for friends. Felpia asked me to pray for her daughter that God will also bring about reconciliation in her situation.
Please pray with me as God brings Felipa to mind, asking him to grant wholeness to this family.