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Dear friends of the ministry,
I first want to begin by thanking our awesome God for deeply caring for children and having a BIG heart that's especially inclined toward those kids who are living in dire situations. Our society may lack the full abilities to appropriately help every child, but our God is faithful. He gives special grace to those who are deeply hurting and bewildered.
The Lord God has been so gracious to the United States, and it seems appropriate to thank Him for enabling this country to have a foster care system. Although I am aware of the many problems and challenges within the foster care system, I still am grateful that we have a functional system through which many boys and girls are being helped. That help is made possible to a great extent because of loving families and individuals who open their homes to take in and care for youngsters in need.
Indeed, our children in the United States are battling troubles on all fronts. If it were not for the grace of God, I would be overwhelmed as a soldier in this warfare, and you too could become engulfed with apprehension if you should choose to help kids without God's counsel in daily prayer. The Lord undeniably gives peace that passes all understanding, and He keeps our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus even when endeavors seemingly go against hope.
Any nation cannot continue to stand to be a nation without a framework of strong families. The family unit is God's masterpiece within a people. Since the 1920s/1930s there has been a subtle increase in attacks on the American family. Sadly, the fabric of America 's families gradually has become torn and tattered, ultimately weakening our society on a large scale.
One fundamental reason why our children all across the country are experiencing unrelenting challenges is because we scarcely have left intact God's design for the family unit. The evidence is before us. Millions of our children live with feelings of loneliness, depression and are disconnected from society. Increasingly each year thousands of our children are committing suicide, and ever more thousands of our children are being arrested for serious crimes.
My heart is greatly concerned for our children. I thank God immensely that He graciously gives me the privilege of laboring in the ministry of helps on behalf of children. I have seen with my own eyes, heard with my own ears, and experienced myself the effects of evil on our children. Therefore, one endeavor that I diligently have been working toward for the past two years is to establish a Home in Central Ohio for adolescent boys who are facing difficult challenges and who need safety, love, and stability. I have taken every class, gone through many training sessions, done my homework, and made extensive arrangements so that I could receive a license here in Ohio to open a small Home for boys.
My heart is deeply saddened and contrite, yet I still keep my focus on God and trust His sovereignty. I must report to you that it seems I shall not receive a license from the state of Ohio . I have jumped through every hoop, and yet I am left in wonderment.
In sharing with you the reason behind this rejection of my application for a license, I want to be transparent. I am sharing some very personal matters with you that God has seen me through. He has brought me to the point that I could more than just survive; He has enabled me to surthrive, for I am a surthriver.
Back in September 2018, I was told that I would soon be approved for the license necessary for me to open a Home for boys. However, this process was halted by an administrator after she reviewed my complete application. Her explanation was that she felt I was not ready to care for children because I had never undergone therapy or counseling for sexual abuse that I experienced as a small child. I explained to her that I had given all of my pangs to Jesus Christ, and that I had learned to forgive and move forward with my life, and not think about certain matters which are behind me, reaching forth unto those things which are before. In fact, God has helped me to focus my rationale for living on helping kids and preaching the gospel. A week after the approval process for my license was halted, I was instructed to go through six months of counseling before I could be approved. So I followed through on the administrator's instruction and met weekly with a counselor.
Then in the spring of this year, my counselor wrote a favorable report for the administrator. Several weeks later, my counselor was asked to answer impossible question(s). My counselor wrote me these words: "...the issue is that they want to know whether or not you will 'traumatize yourself or others.' This is not a question that I can answer, as it is outside the scope of my practice; answering such a question would be a violation of our code of ethics. In fact, I don't believe that any counselor can answer that question..."
So what am I to do? Various friends and godly counselors that I keep near me have shared their thoughts, for which I am appreciative. But after much prayer, meditation, and considerate counseling from my pastor, I choose to trust God's sovereignty. God is in control. The past two years have not been a waste in waiting. God has blessed, He has taught me much, and He has given me many opportunities to serve Him in ways that would not have been available to me in different circumstances.
God has given me so many opportunities to share the loving gospel of Jesus Christ with various professionals during these past two years whom I otherwise never would have met. God has given me opportunities to confidentially listen to and speak with individuals, families, and pastors who have experienced or are now experiencing some form of sexual infringement. I thank God that time spent waiting is not time wasted; it is well worth the wait.
I am not totally sure what is ahead for me. Nevertheless, by God's grace I hope to continue to walk beside Him to be a servant unto all, especially children, around the world. God has opened the doors for me to travel this coming fall to the Dominican Republic as well as to a Restricted Access Nation to be of service in helping to meet some very special needs for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ! I covet your prayers dearly.
If I may be of service as a friend to you in any way, please feel free to reach out to me anytime.
Thank you so much for your prayers, and thank you to those who generously give so that together we can love one more child!
Lawrence Bowman
I first want to begin by thanking our awesome God for deeply caring for children and having a BIG heart that's especially inclined toward those kids who are living in dire situations. Our society may lack the full abilities to appropriately help every child, but our God is faithful. He gives special grace to those who are deeply hurting and bewildered.
The Lord God has been so gracious to the United States, and it seems appropriate to thank Him for enabling this country to have a foster care system. Although I am aware of the many problems and challenges within the foster care system, I still am grateful that we have a functional system through which many boys and girls are being helped. That help is made possible to a great extent because of loving families and individuals who open their homes to take in and care for youngsters in need.
Indeed, our children in the United States are battling troubles on all fronts. If it were not for the grace of God, I would be overwhelmed as a soldier in this warfare, and you too could become engulfed with apprehension if you should choose to help kids without God's counsel in daily prayer. The Lord undeniably gives peace that passes all understanding, and He keeps our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus even when endeavors seemingly go against hope.
Any nation cannot continue to stand to be a nation without a framework of strong families. The family unit is God's masterpiece within a people. Since the 1920s/1930s there has been a subtle increase in attacks on the American family. Sadly, the fabric of America 's families gradually has become torn and tattered, ultimately weakening our society on a large scale.
One fundamental reason why our children all across the country are experiencing unrelenting challenges is because we scarcely have left intact God's design for the family unit. The evidence is before us. Millions of our children live with feelings of loneliness, depression and are disconnected from society. Increasingly each year thousands of our children are committing suicide, and ever more thousands of our children are being arrested for serious crimes.
My heart is greatly concerned for our children. I thank God immensely that He graciously gives me the privilege of laboring in the ministry of helps on behalf of children. I have seen with my own eyes, heard with my own ears, and experienced myself the effects of evil on our children. Therefore, one endeavor that I diligently have been working toward for the past two years is to establish a Home in Central Ohio for adolescent boys who are facing difficult challenges and who need safety, love, and stability. I have taken every class, gone through many training sessions, done my homework, and made extensive arrangements so that I could receive a license here in Ohio to open a small Home for boys.
My heart is deeply saddened and contrite, yet I still keep my focus on God and trust His sovereignty. I must report to you that it seems I shall not receive a license from the state of Ohio . I have jumped through every hoop, and yet I am left in wonderment.
In sharing with you the reason behind this rejection of my application for a license, I want to be transparent. I am sharing some very personal matters with you that God has seen me through. He has brought me to the point that I could more than just survive; He has enabled me to surthrive, for I am a surthriver.
Back in September 2018, I was told that I would soon be approved for the license necessary for me to open a Home for boys. However, this process was halted by an administrator after she reviewed my complete application. Her explanation was that she felt I was not ready to care for children because I had never undergone therapy or counseling for sexual abuse that I experienced as a small child. I explained to her that I had given all of my pangs to Jesus Christ, and that I had learned to forgive and move forward with my life, and not think about certain matters which are behind me, reaching forth unto those things which are before. In fact, God has helped me to focus my rationale for living on helping kids and preaching the gospel. A week after the approval process for my license was halted, I was instructed to go through six months of counseling before I could be approved. So I followed through on the administrator's instruction and met weekly with a counselor.
Then in the spring of this year, my counselor wrote a favorable report for the administrator. Several weeks later, my counselor was asked to answer impossible question(s). My counselor wrote me these words: "...the issue is that they want to know whether or not you will 'traumatize yourself or others.' This is not a question that I can answer, as it is outside the scope of my practice; answering such a question would be a violation of our code of ethics. In fact, I don't believe that any counselor can answer that question..."
So what am I to do? Various friends and godly counselors that I keep near me have shared their thoughts, for which I am appreciative. But after much prayer, meditation, and considerate counseling from my pastor, I choose to trust God's sovereignty. God is in control. The past two years have not been a waste in waiting. God has blessed, He has taught me much, and He has given me many opportunities to serve Him in ways that would not have been available to me in different circumstances.
God has given me so many opportunities to share the loving gospel of Jesus Christ with various professionals during these past two years whom I otherwise never would have met. God has given me opportunities to confidentially listen to and speak with individuals, families, and pastors who have experienced or are now experiencing some form of sexual infringement. I thank God that time spent waiting is not time wasted; it is well worth the wait.
I am not totally sure what is ahead for me. Nevertheless, by God's grace I hope to continue to walk beside Him to be a servant unto all, especially children, around the world. God has opened the doors for me to travel this coming fall to the Dominican Republic as well as to a Restricted Access Nation to be of service in helping to meet some very special needs for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ! I covet your prayers dearly.
If I may be of service as a friend to you in any way, please feel free to reach out to me anytime.
Thank you so much for your prayers, and thank you to those who generously give so that together we can love one more child!
Lawrence Bowman
