Jesus Loves the Little Children
Chinese, American, Brazilian, Australian, Korean . . . these nationalities are representative of just some of the children and families we have been able to minister to this year through Pathways Professional Counseling.
Helping children and families is what Pathways counselor and social worker, Kristin Lowrey, does every day. What she doesn’t do everyday, however, is work with children and families in China. But in the fall of 2015, Pathways sent her to provide some much needed therapeutic resources to families overseas, spreading the light of that ministry to the Far East corner of the world.
Kristin is one of a handful of counselors on our staff who specialize in attachment therapy, and she leads these efforts in our ministry. Oftentimes, children who come into foster care and many who are adopted, have experienced early traumas that cause them to develop trust issues with adults. At times, they actually reject parental relationships by trying to adapt to their new environments in negative ways (often seen through bad behavior). Attachment therapy involves helping children develop healthy relationships with adults, building over time an understanding and trust that their new parents will meet their needs and truly love and take care of them.
In America, we have counseling and community resources that many families outside the US only dream of having. Families overseas are often left to fend for themselves as they navigate a unique set of challenges that come with international adoptions and life in a foreign culture. Many of these families who have contacted us are missionaries who learned of our ministry while being home on furlough.
Just this year, one such missionary was in our office receiving family counseling while stateside. Upon learning of a previous trip Kristin had made to Ethiopia to help families there, this mom broke down in tears and shared, “I have been looking for help for so long—the Lord led me to you. On the way over here, I was praying God would not only help me, but also the families we work with back in China. Hearing that you just got back from Ethiopia, I believe God is showing me that this is something you can potentially do for us too!”
Plans soon came together for us to partner with ISC, International Schools of China, for their annual staff training event, which would also open up opportunities to schedule individual counseling sessions with parents. In two different cities, Tianjin and Beijing, Kristin was able to work with teachers and parents to help them understand adoption-related behavioral counseling techniques. Kristin shared that even after one day of counseling, parents came back the next day after trying these techniques and expressed they could already tell a difference! “They really were like sponges. They don’t have the people or community we have here for help and support. There are counselors in their schools, but they’re not trained for adoption-related issues.”
One father Kristin described as “seemingly disengaged” during a session, all of sudden broke down and began crying. She said he spoke to her afterwards, sharing, “We have needed you for so long. With my 15 year-old son, I have needed you for years. Where have you been?” She went on to summarize, “They just don’t have help.”
Kristin says of her experience, “It’s clearly worth it to be there. Their children look the same as ours. They struggle with connection, trust, having a positive self-image, and feeling worthless. In the end, it kind of looks the same across continents because these children from hard places are not getting the kind of beginning God intended them to have. But there is hope, and we see that everyday. That’s why I continue to do what I do. If I can help that one kid and family get to a place that’s better, then that’s one less child that’s struggling.”
Be a part of our international outreach by praying for these children and parents across the world. Pray for families to show the love of Jesus and for children to heal.
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