I met Shannon on the street. She was holding the hand of a rambunctious three-and-a-
half-year-old boy, Tyler. Standing to the side was a very quiet girl, with her head down. Shannon wanted to know what the four of us were doing in this neighborhood. We clearly didn’t fit into this very dangerous place. I began to talk to her about her life. She told me that she lived on the streets. She said her little boy Tyler would be leaving next week to live with his father who was in the military. We talked about sin and Hell and she listened intently. I noticed that the girl with her was also listening very carefully, with her head down. I asked Shannon if she was willing to pay for her crimes with her own soul. She thought a minute and said, “No.” I asked her if she ever thought about it before. She told me, “Many times…all the time.” I told her about the provision that God made for her. She knew about Jesus but when she realized that the demons also believe, she grew quiet. The young girl continued to listen keenly as I explained the difference between believing and trusting fully.
I told them both that to repent you had to walk in the opposite direction from your sin. You could not come to your husband with your arm around your boyfriend. Shannon wanted to pray with me right on the street. I told her that I didn’t want to talk her into it. She assured me that it was something that she wanted to do. She told me that she had tried to get another woman to pray with her earlier in the day, but the woman had refused her.
I looked at the girl and asked her if what I was telling them made sense to her. For the first time she looked up enough to meet my eyes then she nodded. I asked her name. She lowered her face toward the ground and told me it was Vanessa. I estimated her to be about 12-years-old. She was very dirty and looked very sad.
Shannon prayed silently. When she was finished I looked at Vanessa and asked if she wanted to pray. She smiled and said, “I already did.” Hallelujah! Shannon gave me a big hug and Vanessa just sort of stood there. I asked her for a hug and she stood still while I hugged her. My heart broke. This area behind the civic center was not place for a little girl to be, much less spend the night. I asked Shannon if Vanessa was her daughter. She told me that Vanessa was a ‘friend’.
When we got home the next morning, I called the Atlanta Police department and asked if they could go find this little girl. The officer told me that there is a homeless shelter in the area. I told the officer that this was no place for this little girl to be and she agreed to try to find her.
May God give directions to these officers and may He provide a wonderful Christian home for this beautiful little lamb. May she grow to love Him and be a strong voice for Him! Psalms 82:3 Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy.
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