The mentors of the mujercitas met today as we do every Friday. I try to use the time to check in, triage girls in trouble, encourage the women and provide resources for them as well. This was our first meeting since our long Christmas break and we were grumbling about all the girls who were “married off” during the time off of school. This always happens when they have idol time in the house.
Finally, I decided to change the topic to something more productive and asked how things were going and what I could do to help. Marisol asked AGAIN for help with the “married” girls, restating the need to meet with them separately as they have different needs. This is a topic I have avoided as I just have a hard time thinking of a 13-15 year girl being married just because she slept with a man. I cannot counsel her in being a good wife. I just can’t! I want to tell her she made a mistake and we all do, so repent and move in a new direction. Go to school, go home, be a kid. I get upset that their mom’s don’t feel the same as I do, but they don’t and there are a million reasons why.
I promised to join them in prayer for these girls and offered to take on the pregnant girls, helping them with nutrition and education. Then Delia interrupted. They need a haven, a safe place to go to. It’s one thing to say, go home, go to school, you made a mistake now go another way. But now all those doors are closed to them and their only way out is another man, working the streets, or some rare, merciful family member that will offer a second chance. We have at least three girls in this limbo state. They want a way out but don’t have one.
I believe God always gives us a way out. For the first time, I shared the dream I’ve carried and shared with only a few people over the last years. I let it out into the air in the presence of these women. (I have big dreams, but am careful not to dream out loud so as not to get in the way of God’s timing, get hopes up, or make perceived promises.) So I said it, I said it out loud. “This is my heart’s work. You are my heart’s work and I believe that someday we will have that safe place and I hope that it will be in the form of a boarding school…..but we’re not ready. It will be a different team. Let’s pray for that team.” Again Delia interrupted, “What about now? Can we do something smaller now?” Then she allowed her own dream to enter the air for the first time in my presence. “I’m building the house. It’s almost done. We just need the senora. Let’s pray for her– the first step in your big dream is my little house.” I know she is right. We all felt it with chills on our arms and lumps in our throats.
It’s exciting to watch God move. We are praying and waiting with great expectation. We know he loves these girls more and better than we ever could and that plans he has for them are bigger than any dream of ours. We make ourselves available to be used, we try to quiet ourselves to hear, and pray for the strength and courage to move.
It’s scary working with the girls. The battle is so thick you can almost see it with your human eyes. We know that we are in the enemy’s camp and we try to remember to go with our armor on. Pray for our protection. Pray for the release of chains. Pray for the freedom that comes only through the blood of Jesus.
photos: Tracy
This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 at 9:01 am and is filed under Reyes Family Blog (T.E.A.R.S. for Joy), T.E.A.R.S. School, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
February 5th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Sharing in your dream, praying that the spoken dream will come to reality, and that we can all be part of it. Thanking God for your love and commitment.
Blessings