"Remember who you are"

             
​              
​“The Lord knows who belongs to Him.” 
​- 2 Timothy 2:19

​Dear Friends,​

​I am Tia to my adopted niece, I love spending time with her – we take walks, go to the park, come back to my house and watch Disney movies, eat quesadillas and have a piece of chocolate.  Tyler is quite spunky and definitely knows what she wants and is verbal about it.  She reminds me of Chelsea at that age.  So, when Tyler gets to my house she picks out the Disney movie we are going to watch together.  This particular day she selected one of my favorites - Lion King.
 
Lion King is the story of a lion cub's journey to adulthood and acceptance of his royal destiny. Simba begins life as an honored prince, the son of the powerful King Mufasa.  The cub's happy childhood turns tragic when his evil uncle, Scar murders Mufasa and drives Simba away from the kingdom.  In exile, the young lion befriends the comically bumbling pair of Pumbaa the warthog and Timon the meerkat, and lives a carefree jungle life.  As he approaches adulthood, however, he is visited by the spirit of his father, who instructs him to defeat the nefarious Scar and reclaim his rightful throne. “Remember who you are. Being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble.  What it does mean is that you’re mature enough to understand your fears and overcome them.”
 
I love this story because it has so many theological parallels for believers.  Mufasa (Jesus), Simba (believers) Rafiki (Holy Spirit) and Scar (Evil One).  I know that we all at some point in our lives have made poor decisions and rather than seek out God’s forgiveness we have tried to run away from them (at least, I know I have).  That is exactly what Simba did in this movie he tried to out run his past mistakes.  Later in the movie, Rafiki visits Simba and reminds him of his calling to be the King of the Jungle.  Simba leaves in tears and when he comes to a pond he sees his father’s face reflected in the water and hears his voice saying, “Remember who you are.”
 
Loved ones, in our many daily interactions with children, youth and parents – it is our role to remind them of who they are and more importantly, whose they are!  I thank you for your continued love, prayers and financial support – it truly makes an impact.
 
Blessings to you all and Happy Father’s Day to you Dads!
 
Because of Him,
Betty Alvarez Ham
President