Photos courtesy Cru Inner City.
As a young Hmong woman from a mostly Buddhist family, Melanie Lor had no intention of finding God when she moved to Minneapolis; she wasn't even looking for Him.
But He was pursuing her.
Shortly after her family's move, new neighbors reached out to Melanie and her younger sister.
They invited her to the Adventure Girls Club, a S.A.Y. Yes!™ program at Bethlehem Baptist Church.
In the wake of a difficult home situation, Melanie joined the club and immediately latched onto the idea of a Father who would love her unconditionally. It sounded almost too good to be true, and for a few months, she resisted the tug on her heart.
She felt guilty, undeserving of what God was offering her.
One of her mentors told her, "Whether you're ready to accept Him or not, Jesus has accepted you. He is calling you to Him."
It wasn't until Melanie attended a summer Bible camp that she finally responded to that call, confessing her need for Jesus.
Her transformation was radical and radiant.
"Whenever I felt let down, I looked up to Him as my pillar," Melanie recalls. "It was so new to me, having someone want to understand me and want to know my feelings."
Her new life met resistance from her parents. Although her father wouldn't forbid her to go to church, his silent disapproval was difficult for Melanie.
But when she found him a Hmong Bible, God was able to move even his hardened heart. Before he passed away in 2012, Melanie was able to lead her father to faith in Jesus Christ.
It has been ten years since Melanie first joined the Adventure Girls Club, and she is still an active co-leader.
It is Melanie's hope to pursue that calling overseas, in the spring of 2014, and carry the lessons she's learned with her.
Please pray for Melanie as she seeks to be a traveling testimony of God's faithfulness.
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