For those of you wondering, there is no exact time-frame for how long Austin will be at House of Hope. The typical time-frame is from 8-18 months. They have shared that Austin graduated fairly quickly from Orientation to Phase 1, and that does not surprise me, as Austin has incredible talent at getting things accomplished when he puts his mind to something!
There are certain benchmarks that the teens accomplish in each phase, that include memorizing verses, journaling what you feel God is doing in your life, and eventually sharing what you choose to share of your story, as well as learning relationship skills, etc.
There is Orientation, Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Grad Phase, and Home Phase. During this time, we as parents are also receiving Counselling, and learning better relationship skills in preparation for Austin to rejoin our family.
Many have asked about contacting Austin, and we so much appreciate your love and prayers for him!
Currently, in Phase 1, anyone who is family may write a letter to Austin, which will first be screened by a staff member to ensure that the content is encouraging. No phone calls can be received by Austin.
Friday night before last, I was relaxing and checking my FaceBook page, when I noticed an unusual link from House of Hope Orlando. Typically they share a verse or inspirational quote, but this particular day, it was a link to a TV interview done by a station there in Orlando.
As I clicked on the link, I saw that Sara was being interviewed along with 3 residents, and as I saw the names, I assumed it was one of Austin's housemates, also named Austin. I was quite sure that Sara wouldn't take a resident on a TV interview, who had just arrived at House of Hope 7 weeks prior.
But as the interview progressed, I was amazed to find that it was indeed, 'our' Austin!!
In some ways, what he had to say was difficult to hear, as he started openly sharing that he had, in fact, been doing certain things that we were worried he was doing, but he would not share with us. On the other hand, as he shared, "but now I've re-dedicated my life to Jesus", the joy of seeing him peaceful and happy was more than I could have imagined, especially at this early stage!
Praise God for what He is doing through House of Hope!
Here is the video link for any of you who would like to share in the joy of what God is up to!
www.vimeo.com/67334658
On Monday, we received a letter from Austin that was just beautiful! He shared that he had re-dedicated his life to Jesus, and that he had experienced some amazing things during his stay at House of Hope, that were unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Ways he believes the Holy Spirit is opening up his eyes to things that he never would have believed two months ago!
One amazing thing he shared was this...
"The key to Christianity, and experiencing this power (of God), I have learned, is not saying 'no' to everything wrong, but saying 'Yes' to God, and the old things pass away. Romans 12:2"
WOW!! Thanks be to the One who is teaching us all to fly!
Keep us in your prayers as we spend more time with Austin over Fathers Day!!
Who else BUT GOD.....could work out such amazing details to be able to share the pain and then most of all the glory that can come thru the pain...the healing that only God can bring in a life even though there was such awful control and fear wrought in so many lives. Pain and hurt past down thru generations and now to see God freeing so many from the bondage of legalism...unloosing the heavy chains of control!! PRAISE be to God who makes all things beautiful in His time! We love you all and are praising God with hearts full of thankfulness for the amazing work He is doing in Austin's life! Showing Him just how real and loving He is!! To God be the Glory!!! He is good .... ALWAYS!!
ReplyDeleteYes, He is good, always! Thanks so much for your encouraging thoughts, Debbie!
DeleteWe all have a story...God is still working on Austin's Story. May he continue to have the courage and faith to ask God to direct his story and lead his life by saying Yes to God so that the other things pass away. My prayers are for him to accomplish just that.
ReplyDelete"Saying 'Yes' to God, and the old things pass away." That is so true, what an awesome opportunity to learn this truth at a young age! This is something that I am still learning! That God wants us to be in that 'Yes' place with him, and he will take care of how we should live our lives... so encouraging to hear, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete