That is great Brooke is finding a safe place. Wow, she has had some 
difficult things to deal with in life. The positive side is, she can look 
to better times from here out if she grabs hold tight and let's God's peace 
guide and comfort her. She sounds to me like a stray sheep who is finding 
her way home. I wonder what Gretchen has to feel about her friend. Here's 
Gretchen a girl growing up in a Christian home with good examples and 
encouragement to follow in parents, food on the table, parents and siblings 
to love her, just about all she would have need of and probably a few wants 
supplied along the way as well, yet stating how bad a child hood she has 
had. And then looking at Brooke having lost her parents, suffered physical 
injury and lost the finances to compensate that, and basically has every 
reason to kick dust at life yet is very eager to work it out and apparently 
very grateful for your and Sandy's help.

Brad


At 05:58 PM 2/9/2006 -0700, you wrote:
>She has begun moving in with us and is living downstairs with Gretchen.
>Brook is working two different jobs.  One is part time and the other is full
>time.  Several years ago, Brook was riding with a van load of kids she
>should not have been with.  Some had criminal records.  The driver lost
>control of the van and some of the passengers were injured.  At least one
>person, as I recall, was killed.  Brook's back was broken and she was laying
>on the boy who was killed until the paramedics arrived.  Not a pleasant
>memory.  Brook was in the hospital for some time.  Eventually the insurance
>paid off and Brook's mother spent it all and Brook received nothing.  Her
>father split and no one knows where he is and her mother died last year and
>she has no knowledge of where her brother and sister are now either.  She
>asked if she could move in because of her fears, and the fact she has been
>clean for 7 weeks, until last night, and she said she needs a mom and a dad.
>Today, she became so frightened, I was wondering if she could even make it
>to work.  She is being honest with me but she is a little girl trying to be
>an adult right now due to the trauma she suffered as a little girl.  At
>least half of the women I pray with are, in many respects, still like girls
>due to the trauma.  Jesus has a thing, in a manner of speaking, for children
>and that's why He reminded us that we are His children.  It's nice to have a
>dad/father when you are little, isn't it?  Brook is about as broken of a
>person I have every known.  She will not make it without the Lord.  Shoot,
>none of us will make it without the Lord.
>
>Phil.
>
>Learning Jesus
>www.SafePlaceFellowship.com

Brad

   Character is  how you conduct  yourself when no one is looking