Thank you to all who have lifted up Sandra in prayer today. Many concerned neighbors were on-call all day as the search continued for Sandra.

Around dinnertime Sandra’s mom called to inform us that Sandra had been sighted in our small town at a problematic relative’s home but that she refused to come out of the house when her mom came looking for her. Her mom (Geraldina) asked for backup, and we were immediately out the door, grateful to hear that Sandra was still in our town and not hours away with the untrustworthy long-distance boyfriend.

Our eldest daughter (Dayana) and I just returned home after having spent over two hours talking and praying with Sandra and her mom as we all sat cross-legged on the concrete floor of the two-room wooden shack where she had been hiding out.

We began and ended the entire confrontation with prayer as there is still a lot of confusion and lying to be worked through, but Sandra finally broke down and agreed to return home with her mom, which she had adamantly refused to do at the beginning of the conversation. Steps have been taken to establish healthier limits in the home (her cellphone has been taken away permanently), and we have renewed our commitment once more to partner with Sandra and her mom in daily life — supporting, counseling and loving them as God would have us to over the long haul, in both times of ease and times of trial.

We rejoice in the Lord for having protected Sandra from the many potential dangers that faced her, and we thank Him for illuminating her mind enough to agree to head home with her mom. Please continue to pray with us for Sandra as she is still in a very dangerous mindset and has yet to willingly confess all that she has hidden. Pray once more that she may turn to Christ as her daily sustenance, and that she may faithfully walk out the commitment she has publicly made with Him. Thank you again for your prayers, and let us thank God for this huge first step down the daily path of living in the light.

Amen! Glory to God!