Students from our Brookland Campus pose in front of First Baptist Church of Charleston.
Connie Maxwell has taken the message of hope, love, and dreams of children across the state. Named the Dreams of Children Tour – the event has included stops in Florence, Charleston, Fountain Inn, Lexington, and Rock Hill. Each location offered the opportunity for friends, alumni, children, and staff of Connie Maxwell to gather for fellowship and heartfelt stories. It was also a chance for guests who didn’t know much about Connie Maxwell to learn more about the rich history and current impact of our vital ministry.
Kasey Proctor, a houseparent at our Pee Dee girls’ home in Florence, shared during the Florence event what it was like to welcome a new child to their cottage. In addition to the normal duties of preparing the child’s room and getting her things in order, prayer is an important part of their ministry.
“When a new child is accepted into our program, we begin praying for them before they even come,” Proctor said.
Proctor spoke about the importance of prayer because so many of the children who come to Connie Maxwell carry a lot of emotional pain and burdens. Proctor recalled the time when she sat by a girl’s bed all night long because she wanted to cut herself.
“It’s not easy to see the pain they go through, because you have to go through it with them,” she said. “I just want God to speak to me about who they are, through a relationship with them.”
Ultimately, her favorite part of being a houseparent is the loving relationship she gets to develop with all the girls. While she appreciates the small things, like listening to them sing or letting them do her makeup or fix her hair, she acknowledges that being a houseparent is very busy and they need prayer too.
“As far as being a houseparent, you have to be a nurse, a counselor, a maintenance person, and balance the budget. I’ve learned so many things,” Proctor said. “But, it is God’s house, and He is looking to me to take care of it.”
Madison, a student at Pee Dee also shared some of her feelings about being at Connie Maxwell.
“There is so much I could say that I love about Connie Maxwell, but I think what I love most is that it is a ministry based around God,” Madison said. “It’s not just about caring for the child – it’s showing them that they can have a relationship with God, who loves them more than anything. His love is eternal and He will never leave you.”
Madison said she was baptized on November 20, 2016, and was thankful for how much her life has changed. “A lot has changed for my future, and now I see myself as a strong person because I know for a fact that I have people who will always be there for me,” said Madison.
Alumnae Aggie Cox Cooper spoke during the Fountain Inn event about the challenges her family faced that brought her to Connie Maxwell in 1950.
Her father had passed away and her mother worked hard to raise 12 children by herself. When she was 5 years old, a house fire left her and five other siblings with nowhere to live. They found out about Connie Maxwell through someone at their church.
“We had a loving, Christian family wherever we were on campus,” recalled Cox. “Dr. Smith always held our hands, and I can see Danny doing the same thing – holding the hands of the children.”
At each of the tour stops, guests had an opportunity to hear from new President William D. “Danny” Nicholson II, and learn more about what led him and his wife Debra to Connie Maxwell.
Nicholson was adopted as a child but reminds us that we are all orphans that have been saved by the grace of God.
“All of us were adopted – lost in our sin, without a father, broken without a family, hungry, cold, meaningless – until Jesus’s sacrifice made it possible for us to have a father and a family,” said Nicholson.
“Remember our children in your prayers, come visit us often, and hold fast to dreams,” said Nicholson.
