A Day

I have avoided this for a while because it is hard to say what a day is like here in this ministry and with my job. As you read this, I do not expect you to completely understand what I am describing because until you “live it,” more than likely, you won’t “get it.” It is a demanding and stretching job. My hat goes off to people who have been working within this cause for years on end. My heart goes out to them because it is not for the faint of heart.

A day here is challenging. It can be stretching and sometimes emotionally draining because you do not always know what you are walking into. But, on the other hand, it can sometimes be filled with beautiful moments, and other times you have to remind yourself why God called you here in the first place.

A day can consist of running a Bible study class, overseeing English and math tutorials, and preparing fun, engaging activities for girls between 12 and 17. I pretty much just described a teacher’s job, but it’s more than that. We work with girls who may be teenagers, but they often can act like eight-year-old little girls because of their trauma. A full day means showing love and grace but also being firm. I imagine that this is what parenting may look like, but we are parenting girls that have never had a healthy parental figure. A day can consist of laughs and chit-chat with the girls, but it can also mean being quick on your toes and sometimes putting yourself in between two girls because they are literally in each other’s faces.

A day sometimes means stepping outside of my role as the LC teacher and filling-in in other areas as needed. It sometimes means translating conversations if our regular translator is not available. It means taking turns to be on-call at night in case an incident occurs at the Home. It sometimes means putting down your dinner that you just cooked and have yet to take a bit of, going to the Home to assess a situation that got out of control, or crawling out of your bed at 11 p.m. because a girl is going through an “episode.”

A day can consist of tears and can mean frustration, but it also brings laughs. Nothing makes my day brighter than seeing our girls with a smile on their faces, running around giggling, and being carefree. I love hearing them sing worship songs at the top of their lungs and then asking me to replay it four more times. They are truly beauty within the ashes. Even though it has its moments, I consider it a privilege to be a part of the process...