Do Not Forget Who You Are, or Whose You Are

When I returned home from my most recent visit with Estefani this past summer, I was faced with a deep sense of inadequacy when it came to dealing with her needs.   That is, until God ever so gently asked me, "Since when do I call the adequate?  I have called you."  After a ton of prayer, this letter is how I felt led to talk to her about some of those big things she likely feels (based on information from her teachers), while leading her to the Holy Spirit who can fill her and constantly remind her that she can live like the beloved princess that she is.

My Precious Estefani,

Hello beautiful!  How are you?  How is school?  I miss you very much.  I can hardly wait to see you again.  I think about you and miss you constantly.  I always tell my friends how special you are.  Every day, I read the “Jesus Calling” book that you and I both have and I pray that God will use it in your life if you are reading it too.  I pray that He will use it to give you a strong connection to Him and to me.

One day, as I was reading the book, it said something that I want to share with you.  It said,
“Do not forget who you are or Whose you are.”  You are God’s princess and my princess.  Wherever you go and whatever you do, you are loved by God and by me.  That love is always with you.  Sometimes, though, when we get busy or upset, we can get distracted and forget to act like beloved children of God.  When I was your age, I sometimes felt a lot of anger inside of me, because (edited out details). It made me sad, so I would feel angry and express my anger by arguing with my friends and children at school, making them feel bad.  I did not want to act that way, but I felt so much hurt and I did not know how to handle it.  Do you ever feel that way?  We always learn about God at church; but, sometimes, when we are busy living our lives, it is difficult to remember who we are and that we belong to Him.  I want to encourage you, when you feel angry or upset, to stop and say, “I am a child of God.  I am a princess.”  When you remember that you are beloved and you are royalty, it will help you to act like a beloved child. 

When you are saved by Jesus and become His child, He puts His Holy Spirit inside of you.  The Holy Spirit is our helper.  He reminds us to do the right thing.  The bible says that the Holy Spirit will grow many beautiful “fruits” in our hearts.  Galatians 5:22-23 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  These are some of the beautiful things that the Spirit can grow in our hearts.  He can help us to have self-control and live like children of God.  Have you ever asked God to let the Holy Spirit work in your heart like that?  If not, you can ask one of the helpers and leaders at your sponsorship center, even right now, to pray for that with you.  The Holy Spirit will do amazing things in your life.  He will give you the power to do amazing things for God as you grow.  I know this because He did it in my life too.  I pray for this for you every day.

Estefani, you are my beloved princess.  I love you so much.  I always wear the bracelets you gave to me and look at the other gifts and miss you so much.  I wish I could be there for you every day to talk to you, play with you, pray with you, read with you, protect you, help you with your schoolwork, and just be with you.  For now, I pray for you every day and will write to you often.

I write this letter with so much love.  I will see you soon!

The photos I sent which say "Daughter of the King" and "My Princess"