From Sorrow To Joy
...Doreen’s Story

By Lydia Schaeffer – TOA Director

…Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5

Life looked very hopeless to Doreen at the tender age of 8 years old. Both of her parents were dead and her two brothers were living on the streets, stealing and begging for food. A neighboring family felt sorry for her and allowed her to stay at their house. Although she had a place to sleep and was able to attend school, life was very hard for her. Many of the neighbors in the area where she lived treated her cruelly, speaking harsh words to her because she was so poor and her brothers were street kids. She became more and more depressed.

A local pastor, whose wife works as a teacher at TOA, had come into contact with Doreen and asked if we would consider taking her in along with her twelve year old brother, Ramadhani. By the time their plight had been brought to our attention, things had become too difficult for Doreen and she had run away from the place where she was staying. Her brother came to live with us, but it wasn’t until two days later that Doreen was found and brought to TOA.

Doreen kept to herself and was very quiet during her first few months with us. She was enrolled in school and she showed herself to be a good student. A few months after coming to TOA Doreen began to change. She became more introverted and seemed to be sad all the time. Soon we found out from her teachers that she had stopped doing her school work and was not showing the proper respect towards her teachers.

After hearing this report we knew that this was not simply a matter of talking to Doreen and telling her to be more respectful and get back to work, but it was a matter that required prayer. We prayed and asked the Lord for His healing touch in her heart. And that is exactly what took place.
We spent time alone with Doreen talking to her, praying with her, loving her and listening to her. She opened up and shared about the hurts in her heart and we prayed with her for the love of her Heavenly Father to heal all the pain over the past eight years of her life.

The changes that have taken place in her life since then have been nothing short of a miracle. Four months later, Doreen’s class rankings were released and Doreen’s teachers informed us that not only was she was doing superb work in school but she was also showing marked improvement in her attitude towards her teachers.

It is now a full year since all of this took place and Doreen is doing great. She is a happy, loving, sweet, respectful girl. This year in her class of 50 students Doreen is currently ranked number eight and continues to show improvement.

It is exciting to see God moving in the lives of the children at Treasures of Africa and bringing healing to their hearts. Thank you for your prayers and support. You are helping to make a difference in their lives.

If you would like to help sponsor Doreen, please visit our Treasure Of Africa Children's Home website by clicking here.