A Mighty Destiny — One little girl’s courage unlocks the hearts of a dangerous community
09/18/2014 .Living in the heart of a city known for elevated crime and poverty, seven-year-old Destiny was no stranger to courage. As the youngest of six kids in a family with gang ties, she stared down the face of some frightening realities — many that went beyond her external surroundings. From birth, Destiny battled multiple rare illnesses. Her medical conditions precluded her from attending school until first grade, where she faced yet another challenge — illiteracy. She may have been small, but God had big plans to showcase her strength as a lighthouse of hope that would unlock the hearts of a community.
City Church was a relatively new addition to Destiny’s Compton, California neighborhood, built on property where a crack house once stood. Through a partnership between Saddleback’s Good Neighbor Compton outreach (a program that works with local churches to restore communities) and City Church, a homework club was set up on that property to tackle illiteracy and improve academics in the area. Destiny and her brother Pepe went to the homework club for tutoring, and when a volunteer discovered that Destiny did not know how to read, she put the brother-sister duo up to a challenge. If Pepe could teach his sister to read 24 words on flashcards by the end of the week, she would buy them pizza. Within a few days, Destiny had mastered all of the words.
Destiny worked hard, and with the help she received from the homework club, she gained a lot of lost ground in reading and math. All the while, she instantly captured the hearts of everyone she met. Her family kept Christianity at arm’s length, but she didn’t let that get in the way of her determination to attend Sunday services at City Church. As the weeks went on, Destiny’s family began to take notice of how their pint-sized powerhouse had become even stronger through her new faith. One by one they, too, started attending worship services. Within months, an incredible transformation occurred and the boys turned from their gang life to being involved in the church.
This past Easter Sunday Destiny saw even more evidence of God moving in her family and answering prayers. It was a day of new beginnings as her oldest brother and dad were baptized. Destiny then began to see changes in her oldest brother that only God could have made. He began reading the Bible, praying for their family, and much to her heart’s delight, started calling their mother “Mom” instead of her first name.
As Destiny continued to grow in her faith, God used her to encourage and inspire others. Fighting several illnesses since she was born, her young life had consisted of countless trips to the hospital, nine surgeries, bi-monthly immune support transfusions, and daily nutritional supplementation through a feeding tube. Destiny’s physical scars ran deep, but her strength ran far deeper. With an unshakable faith and contagious joy, she was a lighthouse of God’s love, hope, and grace. She says that even though God hasn’t yet healed her, she knows he is always with her.
Last Sunday, with her family and church around her to celebrate the moment, Destiny also publicly proclaimed her faith through baptism. She says that she wants everyone to know that Jesus can change their lives — just like he did for her oldest brother. Although she may not realize it, God is using Destiny’s life as a compass for others. While she loves to spend her days playing, giggling, and dreaming of becoming a dancer or gymnast, this extraordinary little girl’s strength and courage is effortlessly guiding people to the love and hope found in Christ.
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