STORIES

This was the first week of our Spring Season of Kids' Club. I am beyond thankful to be back in the swing of things! It was such a great week, and I am so exhausted. God is so good, and so full of love for these kids! I wish each of you could meet them. I have a few stories to share about these precious little treasures.



There is one particular 10-year-old kid that has been around since this summer, and we are pretty close with him. During the skit, he kept on talking really loudly. So I pulled him to the side, and asked him to honor the people doing the skit by listening. He kept talking loudly. So I kept getting onto him.

I finally said, “If you keep being disrespectful, you might not get a snack today. Do you want to lose your snack?” His response: “It depends. What are we having for snack?” He then looked around, saw the box of pretzels, and then agreed to respect me.

I was thinking about his response later that night, and realized that I do the same thing with God. When God asks me to do something, my immediate reaction is usually, “What’s in it for me?” AKA: "It depends, God. What do I get for snack?"



When I was announcing about what we were doing that day, one kid kept on coming up to me, poking me in the side while I was talking, and saying that he had an announcement to make. It seemed rather urgent.

I asked him to whisper his announcement to me, and he said, “I just need to ask everyone who hit my brother. Someone hit my brother, and then ran away, and I need to make an announcement that you don’t hit my brother.”

What a protective little guy!



This season, I have decided to start “interviewing” a couple of kids before and after each lesson. This week, I asked the question, “What does Immanuel mean?”

BEFORE the lesson, I got responses like:

“Um, I think that Immanuel means … um … like, uh … brain.”

“It means baby.”

“Immanuel is like a book … something that people have written … It has words, and it might even have pictures.”

AFTER the lesson, I asked the same kids the same question. And this is how each of them responded:

“Immanuel means GOD WITH US!”

I think they really caught onto what this week’s lesson was all about. God loves us so much that He sent His Son to Earth to be like us and to be WITH us. (Isaiah 7:14)



In addition to what we do with the elementary age kids, we have started doing a Bible Study for teen girls at both locations this season. I have been praying for this to happen for so long, and I am so thankful for the young women who have stepped up to lead these Bible studies.

The girls they are leading are the ones who are most at risk for entering into prostitution. The average age of entry into prostitution in the U.S. is between the ages of 11-14.

At Tuesday’s Bible study, the leader shared the verse from Matthew 10 about being as wise as serpents, and as innocent as doves. While the girls were decorating their individual journals with all kinds of stickers, they asked the leader what the verse meant.

The leader explained that Jesus wants to teach us to not go crazy in a crazy world. Pray for these girls as they learn to be as wise as serpents in the crazy world that they live in.

The next day at Wednesday’s teen girls Bible study, an eleven year old (Ok, so this one isn’t technically a teenager …) told the leader that she sees a demon sometimes, and described in detail what the demon was like. She explained how scared she was of the demon, and cried like a baby with the leader. Then her 13-year-old sister said that she sees dark shadows behind her every time she looks in the mirror.

This is just one example of the terrible darkness in this neighborhood. Who knows what else is haunting our other children in their homes. Pray that the Light of Christ will breakthrough in each child. There is serious warfare going on over each of their souls.



Our guy intern this season has been so wonderful with the teenage boys we see on a weekly basis. On Wednesday, he got to hang out with the guys for a little while, and they started asking him questions about sex. They were all ears to whatever he had to say. They are so hungry for truth.

Our intern started talking about soul ties, and how sex is so much more than what happens physically. They have never listened to anyone as well as they listened to him on Wednesday. Pray that the Lord fills our intern more and more with His Spirit as he leads these guys into more truth.



At the end of our time with the kids on both Tuesday and Wednesday, we gathered the kids together whose birthdays were in February so that we could pray for them. A couple of kids even prayed for their peers. This was such a beautiful time, and it was such a joy to get to bless these kids.



Keep praying for these precious little ones. And pray for me, too. I need so much more of the Lord! I'm sure I will have many, many other stories to share as the season goes on.

Do They Know?

As you can imagine, the extended stay hotel where we do one of our Prevention Programs is a transitional place for these families. Some stay for a week, and others stay for a year or two. Each time I hear about kids moving out, my heart has to make some difficult adjustments.

I just love them so dearly, and I feel like they’re being taken away from me.

Such a huge part of me is saying, “Nooo! Stay in this nasty, small hotel room forever, so I can come and love you!”

Of course, I really do want them to experience a normal childhood, where they can play in a front yard, and have family dinners, and soccer practice … I’m just really going to miss them.

When I hear that another family is moving, my immediate thoughts are:

Where are they going to hear about Jesus now?
Who is going to love them?
Will anyone show them who God is … who LOVE is?
Have I taught them well?
Have I done my job?
What will they take away from the way I treated them?
Do they know Jesus?
Do they know the one who created them so uniquely?
Do they know that their identity is Jesus … that they were made in His image … with His characteristics?
Do they know their Savior?
Do they know the freedom they can have in Him?
Do they know that all of LIFE is found in Christ?
Do they know?

And these thoughts have transformed the way I write curriculum. What if there is a child that only comes for one week? What if that is the only week they ever hear about Jesus? What will they think? How will their life be different?

So the theme for this season’s Kids’ Club is JESUS.

That’s it.

I want the kids to know Him. Every single week, I want the kids to ENCOUNTER Him. No one was the same after encountering Jesus while He was here on Earth.

Be praying for our Spring Kids’ Club starting up at the end of February. Pray that we have many many volunteers to make this all happen. Pray that the Lord will give me more and more of Himself to share with the kids. Pray that the kids will know Him. Pray for baptisms! Pray for God encounters. Pray for miracles. And pray that the Kingdom will come on Earth as it is in Heaven.

God's Goodness

I just need to take a minute to brag on God. Here are just a few ways that we have seen the Kingdom come recently ...

We got to speak to a local high school a couple weeks ago. This is the first time we've ever gotten in the schools, and we had a lot of favor when we were there. We spoke to the boys about true manhood, and to the girls about true beauty.

We encountered the owner of a strip club who had a horrible headache one night, so we prayed for her. Her continual blood pressure problems were the cause of her headache. When she went to the doctor the next week, it was the first time her blood pressure was better than normal. And now she is praising God for it all!

Also, a pimp's knee got healed while we were on outreach one night. It’s still healed. And he is completely amazed by God.

An 18 year old guy we met on outreach one Friday night accepted Jesus, and is hungry for more. He has never been to church, never had a Bible, and after talking and praying with our group for a few minutes, he decided that he wants Jesus to be His Lord. We gave him a Bible, and he told us that he's been reading the words in red. Our new guy intern is going to disciple him.

Also, on a personal note, I have a beautiful new nephew. The Lord healed him after his traumatic birth, and he is the cutest baby in the world. He loves me very much.

THANKFUL

When I began working for NightLight, I had to say goodbye to my independent spirit. You know, the thing inside that says, “I’m an adult, and I don’t need anybody else to help me succeed in life. I’ve got this all by myself.”

There’s actually not a whole lot of room for that kind of attitude when raising your monthly salary. And that mindset won’t fly in a job that depends on help from volunteers.

Someone once told me that to trust means to put your full weight into something, as if you are leaning totally on that thing. Without it you would fall flat on your face. The ironic thing, though, is that it kinda feels like you’re going to fall flat on your face when you decide to give up trusting yourself and put all of your weight into another.

The Lord is that thing that I must put all of my weight into in order not to fall. Finding myself in the arms of Papa is the safest and most wonderful place in the world. Because of the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness, He has never let me fall.

And I am thankful.

I am thankful to be working for NightLight. This is a dream job for me. I get to practice living in the calling the Lord has for me as a mother to many. To say the least, the kids we work with get a lot of lovin and nurturing from me. And I get to use my mad teaching skills to teach them about our precious Lord and King, Jesus. I really love those kids, and I really love my job!!

I am thankful for the team of people who make NightLight what it is. We are an army with triumphant warrior, Jesus, leading us to bring freedom to Atlanta. I love being surrounded by saints who just love the Lord and want others to know the Good News that’s burning in their hearts. What a privilege to be a part of this community! I’ve prayed and prayed to be around people like you for so long, and I praise the Lord for each of you who make up the NightLight family. You are a joy to me.

I am thankful that so many people are a part of this with me. I wouldn’t want to do this job all by myself. It is more fun to include others in the ways that the Kingdom of Heaven is coming to Earth. Thank you, supporters, for trusting the Lord and using what He has given you to bless me and make my job possible.

I am thankful for the seemingly random (nothing is random when you’re walking with the Lord) people I’ve run into who want to support me and hear about what’s going on with NightLight. I am blown away by your generosity.

I am thankful for future supporters. I am not so great at asking for money, but here it goes: I am in need of more monthly supporters. I have not been raising enough money each month, and it seems as if the one-time donors are slowly dwindling. My current monthly supporters are blessing me with about a third of my salary. I am trying to raise $2,000 per month, and would love any help that people can offer. If you're interested, visit www.nightlightinternational.com, click on the "Give" tab, and select "Atlanta" in the drop box after you've entered an amount. All donations are tax deductible.

Praise the Lord for His faithfulness to me! And praise Him for all of His faithful ones!

“Who is like You, LORD God Almighty? You, LORD, are mighty, and Your faithfulness surrounds You.” (Psalm 89:8)

“For great is Your love, higher than the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” (Psalm 108:4)

“For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.” (Psalm 117:2)

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does.” (Psalm 145:13)

“To the faithful You show yourself faithful …” (Psalm 18:25)

ISAIAH 54:17

Let me tell you a story about some precious little girls that have come to our Kids Club a couple of times.

Three sweet sisters, ranging in ages between three and eleven, just moved out of the run down extended stay hotel room where they’ve been, and in with their single mom’s brand new boyfriend.

I felt nauseous when I found out.

I don’t know anything about the man that these girls moved in with, but I do know that this puts them at extreme risk for being sexually abused. A lot of sexual abuse happens in the homes of single moms who have boyfriends and uncles over.

See, the girls’ mom is just trying to survive. She wanted to get her babies out of a one-room extended stay hotel, and she saw this as her way out.

One of the biggest risk factor of entering into the sex industry is a history of childhood sexual abuse. 89% of women in the sex industry say they have been sexually abused. We think it’s more like 100%, based on the women that we know.

People who have been treated like objects (usually by people that they know … like mom’s boyfriend, dad, or uncle, or even their own boyfriend) really believe that they’re not much more than just that – an object.

Pray that they will receive the truth about who they really are – their identity as royal children of the Most High King. They are more than objects. They are more than fearful slaves. They are heirs with Jesus. They are royalty in the Kingdom of Heaven. They were made for greatness. God's plans for them are good. God doesn't ever turn His eyes away from them.

Here’s the truth: NO WEAPON THAT IS FORMED AGAINST THEM WILL PROSPER. (Isaiah 54:17)

I declare that those girls will be FREE to live in the truth of their identity in the name of Jesus.

Fall Season Wrap-Up

It’s been a few weeks, so I’ll give you guys a recap of what Kids Club has been like recently.

We talked about how we are like sheep (I just wanna be a sheep Baa Baa Baa Baa...), and that Jesus is our Good Shepherd (John 10). We spent some time listening to our Shepherd’s voice, and the kids heard some of the sweetest truths from the voice of their Shepherd while we listened. They would call out, “HE SAID THAT HE LOVES ME!!”

My favorite week of Kids Club this season was the week that we talked about how we’re invited to a party in Heaven to celebrate our relationship with Jesus, and until we get to the ultimate party in Heaven, we get to celebrate Jesus here on Earth.

So we did.

We brought some Christian rap music, and we had a dance party!!! And let me tell you something, those kids can DANCE!

At one point, I had my shoulders moving to the music, and one of the eight year old little girls said, “No, Maribeth. That’s not how you do it. THIS is how you do it.” And she went on to show me how dancing is done. So, needless to say, I learned a thing or two that day.

Last week, I spent some time reviewing with the kids about what life looks like in the Kingdom of God. I would ask questions like, “How is the Kingdom like a mustard seed?” and “How is the Kingdom like pearls?” and “What does the Kingdom of Heaven look like on Earth?”

A few kids responded to every question I asked with, “JESUS LOVES ME!” They knew I loved that answer.

And the Good News about the Kingdom really is that simple. THE KING LOVES ME and THE KING LOVES YOU.

We ended our fall season of Kids Club by seeking the Kingdom above all else (Matt. 6:33). I asked the kids what it meant to ‘seek’ the Kingdom. They said that we should look for it. I asked where to look for it, and one kid said, “Just look around you. It’s in the air!”

I got my flashlight out and searched for the Kingdom in the children. They came up and shared stories about what the Kingdom looked like in them. Many of them said things like, “God takes care of me,” and “The Kingdom is beautiful in me,” and “I see a castle, and I’m in the castle with God.”

May Your Kingdom come, May Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven in the lives of these children. Amen.

Culture of Honor

There are a couple of twelve year olds that come to our Kids Club on Wednesdays that have quickly become two of my favorites. Let’s call them Tim and Tom. I think I like them so much because it can be a little bit of a challenge to love them.

These guys are at the age where they’re waaaay “too cool” for the things we do at Kids Club, and they get in trouble quite frequently. I’ve had several talks with these boys about honoring others and treating me with respect.

So today, they decided to get clever with the whole “being respectful” thing. They called me away from playing a game with the rest of the kids to have a little meeting with me.

Giggling, they handed me a paper and said that I needed to sign it. The paper read something like this: “I will be respectful of Tim and Tom at all times.” And then it had a place for me to sign my name.

I told them that they were very smart for coming up with something like this, but I wanted to change a couple of things.

So I got a new piece of paper, and with Tim and Tom watching, I wrote: “We will honor and respect each other at all times because God loves us and because we are His awesome kids.” And then I put three blanks at the bottom for us to sign.

I explained to the boys about our covenant. That we were agreeing with each other and making a promise to each other that would last forever.

After the boys signed their names, I signed mine, and then taped the paper on the wall (way up high so that they couldn’t reach it). I told them that the paper will be a reminder of the covenant that we made with each other so that we won’t forget how important it is to honor one another.

Here's the thing - I really want to see A CULTURE OF HONOR spread among our kids.

And because these two boys have so much influence in this community, I know that the covenant that we made today is more than just words on a piece of paper.

I'm declaring that there will be transformation in these two. That they will soak up the extravagant love of our Father, and respond by loving others.

There's not a doubt in my mind that this whole community will be changed when Tim and Tom choose to honor others. So pray!!! Pray that they will simply receive the Father's love. Everything else will happen out of that love.