On dedication day, I stood there about to cut the dedication ribbon and looked over the crowd of staff and volunteers filling the courtyard of this magnificent LIFE Center. I stood in awe of them, each one a tool in the Master’s hand to bring lasting hope and freedom to our precious girls who will now find a home of safety, love, acceptance and grace.

As my eyes rose above the crowd, I caught sight of the massive gate at our entrance. The Lord spoke to me and said, “The only gates these sweet girls have ever known were gates of the prison holding them captive to a life of sexual slavery. But these are My gates, and they will be known as the gates of freedom and refuge. They are the gates that will prevent evil from ever harming My girls again.”

As I continued to watch the gathering, I was keenly aware that this courtyard and these gates were a sacred place, filled with singing, joy and the power, presence and family of God. This is all here because you partnered with God to provide. David’s admonition and proclamation in Psalm 68:4-6 were proven true: Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him – his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing . . .

Tonight, 50 young girls will lie in beds with clean sheets and warm blankets. They will lay their sweet heads on pillows of love and go to sleep hearing the prayers of house moms speaking Scripture and blessing over them. There will be no fear, no shame and no pain for these girls tonight.