Honey and Devi trembled in the corner of their small home. Their father was drunk again, and he threatened to beat their mother. Mother ran from the house weeping. Only when they heard their father snoring on his sleeping mat could the girls relax.

A New Home

One day Mother told the girls to pack their clothes. “I’ve found a place where you can live, a safe place where Father won’t find you,” she said. The girls gathered their few clothes and personal items and put them into a bag. Then they followed Mother to the bus stop. They boarded a city bus and sat down. After a long ride Mother nodded at the girls. It was time to get off the bus.

They walked silently down a long street and stopped in front of a gate that bore a sign. “Sunshine Children’s Home,” Honey read. Beyond the gate they could see several tidy buildings. Honey and Devi followed their mother to a tidy building. They were greeted by Mama Beulah, the director of the home.

After talking a few minutes, Mother kissed the girls goodbye, turned, and walked away. Mama Beulah put her arms around the girls to comfort them. Devi cried, and Honey wiped a tear from her eyes as she watched her mother leave. She was sure that her mother was crying, too.

Mama Beulah showed the girls where they would sleep. Honey was glad the sisters could be near each other.

The Would-be Runaway

Honey loved her new home right away, but Devi wasn’t so sure. One afternoon while the girls were supposed to be reading, Honey fell asleep. Devi tiptoed out of the room and walked quickly to the gate she had entered a few days earlier. She stepped through the gate and gazed left and right, unsure of which way was home.

Someone saw Devi leave the grounds and told Mama Beulah, who sent a boy to watch her so nothing happened to her. The boy saw Devi walk through the gate and ran toward her.

“Why are you here?” he asked, Devi. “It’s dangerous to be outside the gate. You could be hurt or stolen away!” Devi followed the boy back inside the gate and to her dormitory room.

“Where were you?” Honey asked. “I was afraid for you!”

“I wanted to go home, but I didn’t know which way to go,” Devi replied.

“Devi,” her sister said hugging her. “This is our home now. This is where we belong.”

In time Devi learned to love Sunshine Children’s Home too.

Lots to Learn

When Honey and Devi arrived at the children’s home, they didn’t know about Jesus. Mama Beulah explained to them some things about God and how they can worship God. They learned how to pray and read the Bible. Soon Honey and Devi grew to love Jesus and gave their hearts to Him.

The girls learned lots of other things, too. There weren’t enough adults to do everything that needed to be done at the children’s home, so the children washed their own clothes and took turns cleaning the dormitory rooms and sweeping the ground outside. “We have other chores as well,” Honey says. “We have gardens to care for and plants to water. We take turns helping in the kitchen. We are a family, and families help one another.”

Happy Normal Life

The sisters attend the Adventist school next door to the children’s home. When children finish the tenth grade there, they transfer to an Adventist boarding school to finish their studies. The younger children miss the older ones when they go, and they pray for their older brothers and sisters every day.

“I’m glad we’re here at Sunshine Children’s Home,” Honey says. “We’ve learned so much here about life and about God. Now we have hope for our future and for eternity.”

Adventist schools such as the one Honey and Devi attend receive help from our mission offerings. Let’s give a big offering so that more children can learn how much God loves them.