This Saturday was probably one of the best days I’ve had at the refuge so far. The girls were in really good moods, especially after all that happened. It you haven’t heard, one of the girls from the refuge escaped with the help of most of the others in the house. We don’t know where she is, and it has been really hard, especially because she was one of the girls I felt I was getting close to. All but two of the girls now have pretty severe consequences in place to teach them that what they did was unacceptable. But Saturday, a group of missionaries from the Chicago area came to spend some time with the girls. The director of El Pozo asked the group to share some words with the girls to lift their spirits and encourage them, despite all they have been through and where they are now. Not only did the words of this group encourage the girls, but they allowed me to know how to pray for the girls better as well.
One women said that when she see the girls in the house, she sees hope. I couldn’t agree more. I see so much potential, love, and fun spirits in the girls every time I’m with them.
Another shared about how her parents placed a lot of pressure on her to focus on her school and get a good education, she felt like she was never able to follow the dreams or pursue the passions she would’ve liked to. She went to both extremes of doing everything to please others, especially her parents, and doing everything the way she wanted. She then shared with the girls how either way, nothing was fulfilling to her; neither extreme gave her the satisfaction she desired. She told them the only thing that would provide them real satisfaction is following the dreams that God has for them. This is part of my new prayer for them, that they would follow the dreams God has laid out for them, despite all they’ve been through.
Another story I could tell really impacted the girls was of one of the women on the team who had lived a life in poverty with divorced parents, struggling with homelessness and step-parents who treated her differently (more harshly) than their own kids. She wanted to show them that it doesn’t matter where you start in life. We can’t control the past or the future, but we can decide how we live now. She got to share with them that now she has a doctorate, a house of her own, great friends who are bringing her closer to Christ. I think she was a great example for the girls to see that, with God, they can accomplish great things, not matter where they’ve come from.
As we sat their listening to the team share, I was moved by how God was speaking to them and excited to hear people talking to them directly about God. I haven’t been a part of or heard a lot of conversations about God with the girls in these past months, so it was great for them to have those influences and life-giving words spoken to them. I had been praying for God to show me how he’s moving and for him to be in the conversations with the girls and I can’t think of a more direct example than this past Saturday afternoon. It’s as if God said “You wanted to see me work and speak to these girls? Here you have it!”
One of the simplest but most moving moments for me was one man who started sharing with saying “I don’t know if you all believe in God, but I know he believes in you. And He loves you so much, more than you can imagine. He sent us here to meet you, talk with you, get to know you because he loves you so much and wants us to share that love with you all.”
These simple words and expression of God’s love reminded me of exactly why I came here. Because God loves these girl so very very much, more than I can imagine, he called me to come here and share His love for them and to be a tangible example of his love to them. He is equipping me and calling me more and more every day for this great work he is doing. I pray God would work through me to fulfill this calling.
The girls responded so well to each of the stories and everything the group shared. You could tell it meant a lot to them. One of the girls shared some really impactful things. First and foremost that she knows that everybody goes through difficult times and suffers in some way, but for her it is/was hard for her to accept their suffering as real and painful, just like hers. So she appreciated hearing these Americans who came from very different backgrounds than she did, sharing very real ways they have suffered or gone through difficulties and leaned on or turned to God. She also shared how she has experienced God bringing people into her life as gifts from Him to carry her along, take care of her, and lead her closer to Him. It was really moving to hear her talk about her relationship with God. It was honestly like she was giving a little sermon, ending up talking about forgiveness and only having control of the present.
I’m really hoping and praying to have more conversations about God with the girls in the coming weeks and months. In fact, tomorrow I will be meeting with the director of El Pozo and talking about how to get more involved and spending more time there. I’m planning on asking her about starting a bible study with the girls and I’m praying and hoping the idea goes over well.
As always, feeling blessed that God called me here to Mexico and I’m falling more and more in love with this country every day. Thanks for the prayers and support friends.