I woke up this morning in my home at the Village of Hope—the sun was not shining. At least, that is what I thought. Why? Because it was overcast, cold, and damp, more like fall than spring! Then all of a sudden I thought: “No, the sun is shining! I just can’t see it. Yes, it is spring, even if it does not look like it!”
In fact, the sun shines every day, the calendar does not stop either. We just do not see it! Some things just do not change no matter what. Malachi 3:6 says “I the Lord do not change. So you…are not destroyed.”
Covid-19 or not, people are still people, needs are still needs, and God is still God! Indeed we will not “be destroyed!” We have taken all the necessary precautions and it makes things complicated, as you also well know, but our work goes on as ever as you will read in this newsletter. More than ever before people are getting life-changing help. Hope is being restored for families, everyday people are finding new freedom along with the many everyday work projects, new construction, and challenges.
Yet as in Psalm 84:11 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
You are walking together with us, and us with you, during these difficult times. From the bottom of our hearts, we say thank you for your continuing faithful support, prayers, and standing together with us!
By all means enjoy the days you actually see the sun shine—we all do! But don’t forget that the “sun still shines” when you see it not!
With love and blessings—Märt
Margot’s Testimony:
I was born and raised in Valga. I have two sisters and two brothers. As a teenager, I was rebellious and wanted to find something personal that belonged only to me.
At a young age, I found friends who introduced me to alcohol, smoking, and drugs. I started smoking cannabis at the age of 14. I felt like I had found “my thing” that I had been looking for.
But no one told me about what cannabis actually does…
I lost interest in the world around me and often shut myself somewhere in a “fantasy world” for weeks or months. In recent years, things got worse. My personality was split, memory problems, depression, anxiety, self-hatred, guilt, shame, and boundless emptiness…
Within this whole lifestyle I had become a mother. I gave birth to a wonderful boy whom I love with all my heart! I wanted to be a good mother to my son, but I just couldn’t and I became addicted again.
The last time I was in trouble, and I sank into depression, I confessed to my mother what was really going on in my life. My mother took my two-year-old son to raise herself and told me about Village of Hope as the last chance. The first week I thought I would not last long here—all this God thing and taking responsibility…
I wanted to scream at everyone “Do you even understand the pain that is inside of me?!”
But as I listened to the lessons and shared my true feelings, I realized that they actually do understand me. I accepted Jesus into my heart and was baptized. Great joy and peace came into my heart that I had never experienced before with any drug.
My life has a meaning again, I have goals, I have hope! I can be a mother to my son that he can be proud of! I really want to learn and grow more, because I feel that I want to help others as well. I was just so tired of this depression and I am not going back into that darkness again.
