December 18
Not Giving Up
So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
Luke 15:20 (NLT)
Mike Wenndorf spoke at our Men’s Breakfast this last week and his words gripped our hearts. Mike shared his personal testimony and included stories of others. Time and again, he came back to this verse, because God has replayed this theme over and over in his life.
Mike has worked as a counselor for abused children for 7 years and with Child Protective Services (CPS) for over 10 years, and he has seen a lot—maybe too much. As he shared his story it became clear, God is using Mike and others as lights in a very dark world. I thought you might enjoy a recap. So, here goes….
Mike’s talk centered on this wonderful image of the Prodigal’s father running to meet his returning son. Just so, God has run to Mike and others as they have turned to Him for help. Repeatedly Mike shared how God has impressed him and helped him and guided him. Dealing with dysfunctional families, volatile situations, and the aftermath of abused children is difficult, yet Mike has repeatedly seen God at work in the lives of co-workers and clients.
He closed his testimony by sharing the story of “Anna”, the mother of a 5-year old girl, “Tiffany”, who was abandoned for two days at a local, bottom-rung motel. The mother had totally disappeared so the caseworker obtained foster care for the little girl in a peaceful, caring home. What surprised Mike was the fact the mother never came looking for her little girl. Well, after two weeks of little Tiffany asking where her mother was, Mike felt compelled and decided, “I’m going to find this woman.”
And so, the search began. Initial information suggested the mom used drugs heavily and prostituted. For that reason, Mike checked every bar, every flophouse, every pit. Nothing. He put the word out on the street. “Call me if you see her.”
When the phone finally rang, it was 2 a.m. Still half asleep, Mike pulled himself out of bed and picked up the telephone.
“Mike? I’m sorry to bother you, but we found her.” It was an undercover officer who kept an eye on the woman as he spoke.
“No, it’s okay. You did the right thing.” Mike hung up, hauled his clothes on and rushed to the nightspot.
By the time he got there, backup squad cars had arrived to keep her from leaving. Here outside the bar and surrounded by officers in the dead of night, Anna was scared to death. Mike took control of the situation and convinced her to talk with him over a cup of coffee. She quickly agreed … as long as the police weren’t there.
Settled in a booth at Shari’s, she shook and rocked back and forth—partly due to nervousness and partly feeling the effects of meth. She wore red velvet and was dressed to the nines, and with a sense of relief, she shared her story freely. The information, some of it obvious, came pouring out. She was an addict, in her thirties and sold her body to pay for drugs. She had come from the East Coast where she had several other children removed from her care—all conceived because of her business. It was an abominable situation, and she had recently run away from her pimp. Unfortunately, he traced her to a last-ditch motel in Southern California and beat her to within an inch of her life. She knew he would kill her.
Settled in a booth at Shari’s, she shook and rocked back and forth—partly due to nervousness and partly feeling the effects of meth. She wore red velvet and was dressed to the nines, and with a sense of relief, she shared her story freely. The information, some of it obvious, came pouring out. She was an addict, in her thirties and sold her body to pay for drugs. She had come from the East Coast where she had several other children removed from her care—all conceived because of her business. It was an abominable situation, and she had recently run away from her pimp. Unfortunately, he traced her to a last-ditch motel in Southern California and beat her to within an inch of her life. She knew he would kill her.
Not totally convinced, the CPS workers asked her daughter Tiffany about it the next day. To their surprise, she confirmed the story.
“Yes, I saved Mommy’s life.”
“How did you do that Tiffany?” they asked.
“I took the knife he was going to use. I brought it to Mommy on the bed the next morning and showed her. I told her that I saved her.”
It was all true. And so, here was this woman—wallowing in the pit of society, far from God, not knowing what to do. Anna said she had trusted Christ many years ago but had drifted—too far, she believed. But in reality, God was closer than she thought, and God began to open the blinds to let His light shine into her life.
That light took the form of good and caring people—our local agencies by the way are full of them. They surrounded this woman, nurtured, and encouraged her. In fact, the local caseworkers and staff met and prayed for her faithfully as she entered rehabilitation. They were His lights in a very dark world, and she responded by turning back to God.
Soon, Mike’s work called him away to other things, but circumstances allowed him to attend the woman’s final court hearing, a year and a half after it all started. What a surprise. Here was a new woman. Healthy and happy, she was transformed … totally!
After the hearing, Mike caught up with Anna in the cavernous courthouse lobby and she hugged him. Incredulous, he had to ask, “Most folks don’t succeed like this, what made the difference?”
Full of emotion, all she could say was, “God did this! I couldn’t do this, but He could. I returned to Him!”
You’ll be delighted to know, Anna has made incredible progress and now co-leads a recovery group at a local church. Mike says she is not free and clear, that her struggles resulted in life-long consequences for her and her daughter, but she knows that God can and will come running to her.
What a wonderful testimony to the power of God’s love! It’s a great story, because it’s everyone’s story. God ran to Tiffany’s mom. He ran to her just like he runs to any who turn to Him.
Hearing what God was doing in the lives of others made our Band of Brothers Breakfast extra-special. Thanks again Mike for the testimony, and thanks, too … for not giving up!
posted by Craig Soderquist at 10:57 AM
