Ruhamah—‘The ones I love.’

Hosea the prophet of the old testament was told by God to marry Gomer a prostitute, to illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the LORD and worshiping other gods."

So Gomer the wife of Hosea became pregnant a second time and this time gave birth to a daughter. And the LORD said to Hosea, "Name your daughter Lo-ruhamah—'Not loved'—for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them.

This was the name of the Baptist children's home I grew up in as a child. Born of no particular royalty or blood line or to any great future or call I existed along with all those other children who entered through the doors of that house. At the tender age of five I still remember the day my hand was let go and I entered into Ruhamah. The years passed and many of the children did not have parents or relatives visit them only I, one of 14 had regular visits from my natural birth mother every six weeks or so as she worked shifts. I would count down the days with such joyfulness and could barely contain the excitement within my tiny frame. My chest pounded and my heart ached at the thought of my visit now only hours away.

In the vestibule of the children's home sat on old black telephone on a stand surrounded with books and other papers and a silver shiny number dial. The hand piece was big and cumbersome and looked as though it had come out of televisions "Get Smart" episodes. I watched that phone from Thursday night through to Saturday morning hoping and begging for it not to ring. I knew that if that phone would ring, it would be my mother to cancel her visit. This happened often which crushed me. How a child ever recovers from this I don't know, the continual breaking of spirit and heart for me was a very painful thing to overcome and bear. I would have to wait a whole other six weeks and the countdown would start all over again. But I survived but can never forget the anguish and the distraught emotion which followed for weeks and years after.

But for others no one ever came! Mom and Dad of the home gave all the love they had but it was the Lord's love that we needed and His alone was the only love that could heal us.

The story does not end here for Israel knew their God to be a merciful God and He had promised that through their repentance and through God's great mercy towards them that they again would become His very own people whom He loved. Through unbelief some where broken off forever but for those who believed and who had obtained God's great mercy have now become known and named Ruhamah—‘The ones I love"

How merciful is our God, and His mercy has been demonstrated here to us boys who were the unloved but then became the loved by God! This children's home was no longer a house of the unloved but a sanctuary for "the ones God Loves"

My home today is know by its name "Hebron" which means a place of refuge, paradise and a place of peace. It is where the Lord dwells with us and we with Him. I do thank God for rescuing me and placing me in Ruhamah for its where I met my saviour, its where I was rescued and it's where I received mercy! and His LOVE....

Thanks Mom and Dad for your great love and sacrifice, I know you will hear those words "Well done good and faithful servants - enter into my rest"

Truly Thank you!

Rinaldo