Arms of Love International

A terrible accident leads to the establishment of a new home for girls in Nicaragua thirty years later

Arms of Love began with a story … the story of how God redeemed one life that others had thrown away. In 1968, a child abandoned by his parents fell into the arms of love of a new family. The seeds of compassion were sown, and thirty years later, Robert Benson started Arms of Love as a means to care for other abandoned and abused children.

Over the past eight years, hundreds of volunteers, donors, and staff have dedicated their lives and resources to furthering vision, which now includes more than ten homes in five countries. One common thread is woven throughout: if we allow the pain and suffering in our lives to increase our compassion, God can use our brokenness to bring healing and restoration into the lives of others.

Today, the story continues. In 1977, an eight-year-old girl, Heather Brobeck, was permanently brain damaged in a terrible accident. Heather passed away last year, after living for 29 years in a semi-comatose state. Now, her life has inspired her family to fund the next Arms of Love children's home in her memory … a home that next year will receive another 10 abandoned and abused girls in Nicaragua.

Once again, from despair springs hope … from sadness, joy … and the story of Heather becomes woven into the tapestry of Arms of Love. This is her story.

September 12, 1977 was a typical sunny, warm day in Laguna Beach, California. Heather, less than a month from her 8th birthday, was excited about going back to El Morro School to begin the third grade.

She and two friends were riding bikes in their neighborhood. In a freak accident, a car hit Heather, changing everything. Heather had no head protection because helmets were not available for kids 25 years ago. She suffered life-threatening brain injuries. Unconscious, she was rushed to South Coast Medical Center. Heather miraculously survived 10 hours of cranial surgery and many months of hospitalization.

Throughout the ordeal, Heather and her family were surrounded and supported by the Laguna community. Prayer groups composed of individuals from all of Laguna's churches came faithfully to the hospital.

After nearly 18 months, Heather was able to return home. Again the community rallied with 80 volunteers coming in shifts, for many months, to help with the intensive therapy program. Heather's struggle to survive, and her family's determination to trust in God in the midst of this tragedy, became an inspiration to many people in the community.

Heather really was an extraordinary child. Everyone she came in contact with, from neighbors to teachers and friends, all remarked about her sweet, loving and mature personality. She loved Bible stories and shared her faith in God among children in our neighborhood. She was excited about being able to be a sponsor for a child through World Vision, something that we did on behalf of all three of our children.

She also had a real heart for kids with special needs. At a Christian family campground she befriended a brain injured girl her age who was confined to a wheelchair. Ironically, Heather's bicycle accident occurred less than two weeks later, resulting in her becoming brain injured and being confined to a wheelchair. In fact, because of Heather's friendship with the little girl in the wheelchair at camp, that family developed a friendship with our family and provided tremendous support in the weeks and months of hospitalization that followed.

For 29 years, Heather remained in a semi-comatose state. Her family continued to care for her, adding a special wing to their home and providing 24-hour nursing care. David and his wife Gaye continued to hope and pray for a miracle – that one day, Heather would be healed of her injury, and that she would once again be able to experience the fullness of life.

But on July 22, 2006, Heather's life came to an unexpected end at the age of 36. It was a difficult time for Heather's family and raised a new set of questions. Why would God allow her to live for 29 years, only to die without regaining consciousness? What could possibly be God's purpose in such an ordeal?

As Heather's family looks back over the years, they can see how many hearts and lives were touched and changed by Heather's story. But Heather's passing did not end the impact of her life … instead, a new chapter is unfolding. Heather's memory has become the inspiration for establishing a new children's home in Nicaragua, which will give 10 other girls a new chance at life.

Several years ago, Gaye had a very strong feeling that we should somehow help start a home for children that would have a Christian couple serving as the "substitute parents." We talked about the concept over the years, but never seemed to have the time or opportunity to do something like this, largely because of busy lives and our constant focus on Heather and the rest of our family.

After Heather went home to be with her Lord on July 22, 2006, we began looking for a way to memorialize her life. The thought of a home for abandoned children was still in our hearts, but we had no idea where to start. Then, one morning we picked up our Orange County Register and saw the article about Robert and Arms of Love right there on the front page. We both had tears running down our cheeks as we read about Robert's vision and how it was exactly what Gaye had envisioned also.

After meeting Robert at the international "Children-At-Risk Symposium" that he had organized, we were amazed to learn that the Arms of Love campus in Jinotepe, Nicaragua, was just a couple of hours from a home we had recently purchased in northern Costa Rica. This past July our family visited the Jinotepe campus, met the people and the children in first two homes, and decided that we wanted to fund construction of the planned third home for girls, in memory of Heather.

We believe that this new children's home will be a fitting tribute to Heather's spirit of love and reaching out to others. Our family looks forward to many years of involvement in this wonderful ministry. The vision of Arms of Love is our vision as well, and we feel privileged to be a small part in what God is doing the lives of needy children in Nicaragua.

At left: David and Gaye Brobeck in 1977, with their children Holly, David and Heather.
At right: David and Gaye in 2007, with their daughter Holly and their new grandchild, visiting the Jinotepe campus in Nicaragua where the new children's home will be built.

Today, the children who live at our homes in Jinotepe can be found riding bikes around the campus, just as Heather did thirty years ago. On the front door of the new girls' home, a wood mural will illustrate the story of their collective lives … a picture of a girl on a bicycle, riding on a winding road upward toward God's outstretched arms. The mural will also incorporate the words of Jesus, “Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Thirty years after Robert was abandoned, his experience inspired the vision for Arms of Love International. Thirty years after Heather's accident, her life has inspired a new home for girls in Nicaragua.

There are many things in this life that we will never understand. But of this we are certain: when God is at work in our hearts and lives, pain ful and difficult experiences can increase our mercy and compassion toward others. As our brokenness breeds compassion and we reach out to help others in need, God uses us to bring healing into their lives … and in the process, we receive healing ourselves.

“Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”
Psalm 30:5