One of the new girls who came to the house just a few months ago has already left. This is REALLY abnormal as most of the girls are there for years at a time. It’s (hopefully) a happy ending for everyone though as she gets to go live with her grandma and is so excited about it. Although, I know a little of her story and have gathered that this girl does have a lot to deal with and heal spiritually and psychologically.
One thing notable about her was her cheerful demeanor. Every time I walked into the home, I was greeted with a big and loud “Hola, Riley!!” followed by a warm hug. She was always this way- loud, outgoing, and energetic. Now of course, none of the girls live in the home without causing their fair share of trouble, or becoming a part of some drama. She tried to escape multiple times, she was one of the girls a little while ago who entered into crisis/panic while it was just me and another volunteer in the house, and other things that had happened.
We just had 2 other girls leave as well. They had been there about a year and I had gotten to know them pretty well. They were so fun-loving, always making jokes, and I will sincerely miss their energy in the home. They loved to dance and have fun. But even with all of that, they also came with their fair share of attitude and caused trouble.
And it’s the same story for all the girls. Really really funny, beautiful parts of them, and really really dirty parts. But that what makes this all so incredible. Really, they are no different than you and me in that aspect. We all have parts of us we’d rather keep hidden from others, that we know aren’t the best parts of us, and we really should work on changing to become better people. Of course, on top of that, these girls come with more psychological, emotional, spiritual, physical abuse and damage than most of us can even imagine.
I think God has shown me his redemption through seeing each of these girls leave. Before the first girl left, she came up to me and gave me a little folded heart she had made me with a note on it saying thanks and how much she appreciated me. She thanked me for her time with her and wished me well, I shared words of encouragement with her as well. I encouraged her to follow after God, that she can do whatever she wants to do in life, and wished her well. With the other two girls, we spent an afternoon going around the room, telling stories and sharing words of encouragement with the girls. T was so sweet to see how moved they were by the words shared with them. I also had a lot of fun trying to get them to see this as a celebration, not something to be sad about. See, in those moments, I didn’t see all the problems they’d caused, all the brokenness they brought with them to the home, all that was left un-dealt with. Instead I saw potential. I saw sweetness. I saw hope. Maybe it’s my naivety getting the better of me. I every once in a while will snap back into reality and realize life probably won’t be easy for them on the other side. But I also like to think that in some way, this is how God likes to see all of us. Forgiving us of the trouble and pain we’ve caused, seeing past our brokenness (even healing it), and egging us on toward our full potential.
His redemption is a beautiful thing. I’ve come to realize that we can only reach out full potential, everything he wants for us, if we first surrender all of the brokenness from out past and let him heal and change those parts of us. Let him do that work in you, friend.