Alpha Omega Children’s Home is not a quiet place. At any given time, one might hear a number of sounds: the clanging of metal pots and pans in the kitchen as meals are being prepared…the shouting and laughter of children as they play on the playground…a woman singing praise songs as she mop a hallway or hang laundry up to dry…dogs barking as they playfully chase the kids around the yard…a man working on the engine of a car. When all of these sounds are put together, it might seem a bit chaotic. And yet for me, these sounds blend together to form the most beautiful of symphonies. For amidst the chaos of everyday life there in the home, there is a peace unlike anything I have experienced elsewhere. It is a peace that can only come when the Spirit of the Lord is present. And though I have been in beautiful American churches with stained-glass windows and ancient European cathedrals with lofty ceilings and gorgeous designs, they do not compare with the simplicity of Alpha Omega. Some of the walls need repainting, some of the tiles need to be replaced…but the Lord’s presence is stronger there than anywhere else I have ever been.
Alpha Omega is not merely a place. There may be a building that serves as a housing facility for dozens of people, but the heart of Alpha Omega lies within its people…people who love the Lord with all they have, who give generously and selflessly and sacrificially, people that know what life is all about. It is these people—people like Kathy and Odali Barros, the owners of the home and the most loving people I know; people like Lizene Schimming, a servant leader who goes above and beyond to help everyone around her; people like thirteen-year-old Ari or eight-year-old Gabriel, who can brighten your day with a simple smile—these people are what draws me back to this incredible home again and again. This past May I had the pleasure of leading a team from Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, to come and experience the home I have come to know and love. This was my fifth visit to Alpha Omega, and as always, I was not disappointed. I have watched the home go through various transformations over the past four years, as the people there have faced challenges and loss and have endured trials that would cause many to crumble; yet, Alpha Omega remains a refuge of hope and a sanctuary for practically anyone seeking help. Orphans, abused children, unwed mothers, teenagers trying to stay off drugs…anyone who needs it has a home there and experiences the love of Christ in a very real way simply by living among His people. For those who work and live at the home are indeed children of God; they love without condition and without restraint. It is a beautiful thing to behold.
While our team there for this trip, we were able to see God’s work being done firsthand. We saw families being ministered to, mothers provided with support as they worked to raise their children in a godly and safe environment. We saw children learning what it means to obey and follow the Lord even from an early age. We saw older children mentoring the younger ones, taking time to play with them and serve as role models. We saw teenagers and adults working hard at numerous tasks, cooking or cleaning or planting…all for the sake of serving those around them and keeping the home functioning smoothly. We saw it all…and we were humbled. We came to serve; yet it was us who were served. We were so blessed by the people of Alpha Omega, as they ministered to us in countless ways.
When it was time for us to leave, everyone on my team expressed that they did not want to go. In the short two weeks we spent at Alpha Omega, everyone fell in love with the people there. Our team was so impacted by their time at the home that we spent our last day in Brazil discussing what we had learned at Alpha Omega with one another. As we began to talk about what we had experienced, many of our team members shared the common sentiment that what they had learned was unforgettable and invaluable. Nearly everyone pledged to return next year. Many of us found it difficult to give voice to what it was that had affected us so deeply. One girl put it this way: “ Alpha Omega is just so different from any other place I have ever been. It’s like no matter who you are, where you’re from, or how different you might be, you can go there and have a home and family. Because you’re surrounded by love…love that’s stronger than any differences…love that’s real, because it comes from God.”
That is the best way to express what life at Alpha Omega is like, yet even that does not begin to cover how special it is. I cannot find better words to describe how much I love Alpha Omega or how strongly I support the ministry being done there, but I have always heard that actions speak louder than words anyway. If that’s true, than perhaps my actions can speak for my heart. By the time I left Alpha Omega this time, I knew it was no longer enough to merely keep visiting. Alpha Omega has become my home, and the people there my family. When I am there, I feel like I can serve God to the best of my ability, because I am surrounded by others whose goals are the same: glorifying the Lord and serving people. That is why I have decided to move to the home as soon as I can and stay for a long-term period. I fully and whole-heartedly embrace the mission of Alpha Omega and want to be a part of the vision shared by the others who live and work there.
I do not know exactly what the next several years will hold, but I have utter peace about my decision to live and work at Alpha Omega. The people in the home are proclaiming the gospel with their mouths and their lives, “being Jesus” to those around them and sharing their servants’ hearts. That is what true Christianity is about, and that is the kind of environment I want to be surrounded by. Life at Alpha Omega will certainly not always be easy; it will involve hard work and sacrifice. But it also involves living amidst a love unlike anything else I have ever known…a love that can only come from God. For that is what Alpha Omega is all about: sharing God’s love…with Americans, with Brazilians, with children, with mothers, with teenagers…with everyone.
Alpha Omega is not merely a place. There may be a building that serves as a housing facility for dozens of people, but the heart of Alpha Omega lies within its people…people who love the Lord with all they have, who give generously and selflessly and sacrificially, people that know what life is all about. It is these people—people like Kathy and Odali Barros, the owners of the home and the most loving people I know; people like Lizene Schimming, a servant leader who goes above and beyond to help everyone around her; people like thirteen-year-old Ari or eight-year-old Gabriel, who can brighten your day with a simple smile—these people are what draws me back to this incredible home again and again. This past May I had the pleasure of leading a team from Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, to come and experience the home I have come to know and love. This was my fifth visit to Alpha Omega, and as always, I was not disappointed. I have watched the home go through various transformations over the past four years, as the people there have faced challenges and loss and have endured trials that would cause many to crumble; yet, Alpha Omega remains a refuge of hope and a sanctuary for practically anyone seeking help. Orphans, abused children, unwed mothers, teenagers trying to stay off drugs…anyone who needs it has a home there and experiences the love of Christ in a very real way simply by living among His people. For those who work and live at the home are indeed children of God; they love without condition and without restraint. It is a beautiful thing to behold.
While our team there for this trip, we were able to see God’s work being done firsthand. We saw families being ministered to, mothers provided with support as they worked to raise their children in a godly and safe environment. We saw children learning what it means to obey and follow the Lord even from an early age. We saw older children mentoring the younger ones, taking time to play with them and serve as role models. We saw teenagers and adults working hard at numerous tasks, cooking or cleaning or planting…all for the sake of serving those around them and keeping the home functioning smoothly. We saw it all…and we were humbled. We came to serve; yet it was us who were served. We were so blessed by the people of Alpha Omega, as they ministered to us in countless ways.
When it was time for us to leave, everyone on my team expressed that they did not want to go. In the short two weeks we spent at Alpha Omega, everyone fell in love with the people there. Our team was so impacted by their time at the home that we spent our last day in Brazil discussing what we had learned at Alpha Omega with one another. As we began to talk about what we had experienced, many of our team members shared the common sentiment that what they had learned was unforgettable and invaluable. Nearly everyone pledged to return next year. Many of us found it difficult to give voice to what it was that had affected us so deeply. One girl put it this way: “ Alpha Omega is just so different from any other place I have ever been. It’s like no matter who you are, where you’re from, or how different you might be, you can go there and have a home and family. Because you’re surrounded by love…love that’s stronger than any differences…love that’s real, because it comes from God.”
That is the best way to express what life at Alpha Omega is like, yet even that does not begin to cover how special it is. I cannot find better words to describe how much I love Alpha Omega or how strongly I support the ministry being done there, but I have always heard that actions speak louder than words anyway. If that’s true, than perhaps my actions can speak for my heart. By the time I left Alpha Omega this time, I knew it was no longer enough to merely keep visiting. Alpha Omega has become my home, and the people there my family. When I am there, I feel like I can serve God to the best of my ability, because I am surrounded by others whose goals are the same: glorifying the Lord and serving people. That is why I have decided to move to the home as soon as I can and stay for a long-term period. I fully and whole-heartedly embrace the mission of Alpha Omega and want to be a part of the vision shared by the others who live and work there.
I do not know exactly what the next several years will hold, but I have utter peace about my decision to live and work at Alpha Omega. The people in the home are proclaiming the gospel with their mouths and their lives, “being Jesus” to those around them and sharing their servants’ hearts. That is what true Christianity is about, and that is the kind of environment I want to be surrounded by. Life at Alpha Omega will certainly not always be easy; it will involve hard work and sacrifice. But it also involves living amidst a love unlike anything else I have ever known…a love that can only come from God. For that is what Alpha Omega is all about: sharing God’s love…with Americans, with Brazilians, with children, with mothers, with teenagers…with everyone.
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