From Pastor James Harleman: One of our members, Mindy Lee Irvine, is helping put together the important Kids Need to Know Seminar this weekend at Mars Hill | Lake City. Response has been huge, the event is full, so sadly registration is closed. We desire to capture audio to share online regarding this important material so play that element comes together so even more will benefit. Going into the weekend, Mindy Lee had this to share:

I’ve had the honor of sitting in small groups throughout the years and hearing stories of people’s lives.  I say honor, because it feels like you are walking on holy ground when you hear people share their heart with abandon.  Not stories filled with smiles and cheer but stories of wounds, heartache and the shame that comes with sexual abuse.  My mind flashes to snapshots of different people: one woman, stoic and emotionless as she spoke of how her uncle babysat her once a week and touched her… one man so emotional no words could come out, because as he sat in his 52 year old body he had never told anyone what he was about to share.  One mom crying – while laughing at the same time in disbelief  - that her boyfriend had just abused her daughter.  One quiet college girl spoke up, “When I was ten I told my mom that her husband had abused me.  I was so pleased; she said she would take care of it.  I am now 22, still waiting for her to take care of it.” 

As I sat in these groups hearing stories I was proud of these people.  Proud that they had come forward to be in a group to process, share and heal from such tragic experiences.  Yet I always found myself perplexed, asking questions like “Where were your parents?   Why didn’t you tell them?    What did they say when you did tell them?”

Take a look at these statistics:

Again I am perplexed:  Where are the parents? 

Parents, this is an exhortation to you.  If you’re unable to come to this event, seek another. Learn how to teach our kids about sexual abuse as well as to learn how to handle the abuse when it does happen.  Statistics show it likely will.

The same exhortation goes to you: chid care worker, children’s ministry volunteer, teacher, grandpa, grandma, aunt, uncle.  You could be the first person the child feels safe to tell, or the first one to see signs and symptoms of abuse.

With sadness and joy I am helping pastors and deacons coordinate this event.

From the soul of a ten-year-old girl in a 32-year-old body still wondering where her parents are,

Mindy Lee Irvine

 *Statistics from the National Center for Juvenile Justice. (1999, September). Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.