I had an amazing weekend. Many of you know how I spent it, but for those who don't, I spent it with 23 beautiful "stars" - teenage girls who are incarcerated. As part of a team, I entered a juvenile facility nearby and for 3 days got to love these girls who we call "stars" as we encourage them to let the lights God has placed in them shine as stars. I can't describe it fully to you. I'd actually done it before, years ago. And I had a great time and loved it and loved the girls then. But it was different this time..in a good way. Maybe because my role before was more in the background and this time I was right in the middle of the girls..maybe because I'm a bit older (*almost* old enough to be some of these girls' mother..but not quite! ha!)..maybe because I am a mother and while these were teenagers, I could see them as little girls, someone's daughters. I don't know exactly why..but they completely grabbed my heart. I sat at a table with 4 of these girls, along with some other team members, and we became a family, discussing everything from their stories and our stories to shoes (they are teenage girls after all!), to prayer, love and forgiveness, to their hopes and dreams for the future, to jokes and funny stories. Sometimes, it felt like I was talking to a group of youth in my church. Other times, one of them would say something that would bring the stark reality of where we were right back into focus..they have had tough lives, tougher than most of us can even imagine. They weren't all particularly "easy" to love - they giggled and goofed off during the serious moments, shut down at times, had moments of "attitudes", and couldn't decide whether they wanted to trust us or not. They accused each other of taking things that they had simply misplaced. But I did love them - a lot. And slowly, little by little, they did start to try to trust us just a little..they started to let us into their lives, and share with us. They apologized to each other. They began to forgive others, maybe even themselves. I hope they began to believe in themselves..to know their worth in the eyes of God. I think I might have said some things right. I know I said some things wrong. God did everything right. We laughed a lot. We sang, and played games, and prayed, and talked, and listened. We cried some. We had a birthday party. I can't describe it to you..the look on their faces when the room was decorated, they had cakes, they had presents, and we told them we were celebrating their lives. It was incredible. Simply incredible. Can you imagine..being 16 and never having had a birthday party? Never being told your life was worth celebrating? It was a fun celebration, but also a holy moment. In addition to the girls I sat with all weekend, I got to know a few others a little too. One in particular, I had the opportunity to serve as a guide for the weekend. I met with her several times, shared favorite Bible verses with her, talked about different things, listened to her story. She captured my heart as well. She was actually easy to love..she smiled at me from the beginning, she talked easily to me and was eager to share with me, and yet she too has suffered pain and hurts that ended her up in that place. And all of them have been on my heart and mind this week. Many changes were begun in their hearts. Some of them left the weekend obviously different people than when we began. Some of them, you had to look really close to see a hint of a change, and a couple of them - I'm not sure what they got out of the weekend, if anything. But we loved them and we shared God's love with them. And what God does with that is in His hands and in His timing now. I'm praying for all of them. I can't share their names and stories with you..but would you please say a prayer for them too? Just tell God you're praying for His stars - he knows them well! :-) And for those of you who have been praying for them already and who participated in our prayer chain - thank you. God heard your prayers and lives were and are being changed.
