Stephen Judd
President/CEO Tupelo Children’s Mansion
Many years ago, the Christmas in July campaign was launched out of the desperate need for funding during the summer months, when our financial support is at its lowest. As you read one of our children’s stories, would you prayerfully consider helping us with a special one-time Christmas In July gift to the TCM?
Salena (not her real name) was born overseas, in an impoverished nation. Her earliest memories are of being passed from one place to another, stranger to stranger, misused and abused in ways we cannot include in this column. After being abandoned, she was adopted by an American family and brought to the States. Fearful of the things that could happen in the night, she would stay awake until daylight, and be unable to function during the daylight hours. Fearful of food scarcity, she would hoard food, and stuff her little belly to the point of being sick.
Due to her special needs, the family who adopted Salena decided to send her to another adoptive home. That second family sent her back, and then she was sent to TCM. Abandoned and rejected three times, Salena was convinced that she was unlovable. When she would introduce herself to others, she would say, “Hi, my name is Salena, and I’m hard to love.”
It took a whole year for Salena to begin to see TCM as a safe place. She had never been loved the way we loved her, and she had never been able to let down her guard. I am happy to share with you that since coming to TCM, Salena’s progress is nothing less than miraculous. The child who could barely hold a pencil now writes letters to her sponsors. The child who could not bear to be touched rushes to give hugs.
Healing takes time, and little Salena is receiving mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual healing at TCM. God is working in this precious child’s life, and you can be a part of that
healing work. Our Mansion theme this year is “LOVE WORKS!” Love works every day through the hands of our amazing staff who care for the children. Love works through our sponsors who give faithfully and allow us to continue the work that God is doing in the lives of these precious children. Most importantly, we believe that love works through the power of the Holy Spirit. The work that is done with these precious children is only possible because of you.
Loving and giving is what the true spirit of Christmas is all about, and it’s not just something that we celebrate once a year in December, but throughout the entire year, even in July. Please don’t wait. Your help is urgently needed now! Whatever you can give will be appreciated very much and will help to defray the summertime expenses of caring for our children at TCM. You can give now by scanning this QR code or visiting www.mansionkids.org.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for standing with us in this, the Lord’s work!