Wednesday we divided to conquer and the girls plus one very sweet bodyguard (Mark) headed to a new place for this year. We went to the juvenile detention center for teenage girls. It was a sight to behold. We sat and looked into the eyes of BEAUTIFUL girls 12-18 years old who had done what was required to land yourself in prison but they were just too young to go there. Many of them though if their sentences last over the time that they turn 18 will be transferred to the women's prison system. It was one of the most heart wrenching things I have ever seen and I've laid eyes on some pretty gutt wrenching stuff in this country. I sat near a couple of them and talked to them and asked their story and there were 13 year old girls in there for murder. I could not hardly remember to continue to inhale and exhale a few times when they told me some of that stuff. A 17 year old girl in there with a month and a half year old baby who was absolutely gorgeous and sweet as could be when we were talking to her in for at least 5 years for trying to smuggle drugs into her boyfriend who is in the mens prison system. She went for a visit had drugs in her pocket and life has dramatically changed for a very long time.
We teamed up with a ministry that I team up with anytime I can get the chance called Mi Esperanza. Some of my very good friends work with this ministry to empower and educate women to learn a skill to be able to provide a life for their children and themselves. It's a great ministry that is doing fantastic things, but on this particular day they took their beauty school students for a social service day. So the beauty students spent all day with these young girls giving hair do's and pedicures and manicures and just loving on the girls and hearing their stories. It's a new thing that has been implemented into the program not so long ago and the students love it. Old students ask to return for social service days because they believe in it. It's a neat thing to watch some of the women who have come in poor with little self esteem now have something to offer to someone else. Fun to witness and the young girls love having older gals to talk to and look up to. It's pretty special.
We took spaghetti and had lunch with them and popped popcorn and met some very special ladies with Orphan Helpers who are committed to teaching those young girls about Christ. We promised to continue to try to resource for them and find them bibles and spanish curriculum to use with the girls inside the center.
A few of us who live here and are able are going to make this a once a month stop at least. It stole a piece of our hearts and we recognized them as the least of the least in so many ways. Without hope, many of them, and no one up to this point who has loved on them. I really believe that sitting beside them for a couple hours a month might be one of the most worthy expenditures of my time I've found in a while.
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