Sixteen-year-old Jesus is artistic. Twelve-year-old Angelina loves acting out scenes from her favorite TV shows. Ten-year-old Gabriela is a little mother hen. At almost nine years old, Martha Patricia is nurturing, and knows when someone is really hurting. Eight-year-old Emilie is a sassy little diva. And four-year-old Izrael wears his Spider-Man costume everywhere.
But the day Child Protective Services was called was a day that traumatized the Castaneda children. They didn’t understand that their drug-addicted parents had neglected them, or why they all were being split up and sent to foster homes. All they knew was that they wanted their parents – and not someone else, no matter how nice, to take their place. They wanted their family back.
“This is our story,” mom Audrey relays. “We’re honest about it, because hopefully it can help someone else.” How did Audrey get back her babies? “The love of my children got me out of that place [in my life],” she says. “I went through a parenting program at the shelter. I went through addiction classes. I kicked my habit because of my pregnancy with my son Izrael. And I was welcomed by a local church, whose pastor let me know that everyone has a past … but can be new in Christ.”
It has been just over four years since that day – and looking back now, Audrey can finally say, “I’m glad CPS was called. We got through. I’ve been clean for four years, and my children trust me again. I’m proud of myself. I feel accomplished. My children now know they can come to me for anything. And I finally know how to be a good mom.”
Angel Tree Brings Christmas Peace
Reconciliation with their dad, Jesus, has been an even harder road. The children had grown up with him in and out of jail. While Jesus’s family was being transformed by the love of Christ through His church for the past four years, Jesus was doing time in prison. And although the children wrote him occasionally, it seemed like the fun times with their daddy at the park and merry-go-round would never come again.
“Last year, Jesus signed the children up for Angel Tree while in prison,” Audrey shares. “We went to an Angel Tree Christmas party at the local church, and we all felt so very special. The children liked getting presents that their dad sent them. He said that he would send presents, and he did! It helped us out a lot. They knew their daddy sent it.”
“He’s signed them up again this Christmas,” Audrey says. “And now the children can hardly wait for Jesus to get out and come home.”
“When daddy gets home,” the children say, “we’ll take him to church with us!”
UPDATE: Jesus came home last week! Please pray for him and his family as they go through the work of reestablishing their family relationships.