Some amazing facts from Jail

The last few weeks have been amazing. So amazing in fact that I thought I need to write a quick blog entry

* Picked up one of our juvies right at the gate when he got released. We are now in the process of pairing him with a mentor to help him navigate through life successfully (BEST. MOMENT. EVER to see him come out, recognize us and see the big smile on his face)

* At one of our locations the inmates have yard time during the summer every other week. My program starts at 6:30. The yard time starts at 7. You could think that 30 minutes cut in the program would really suck, but..... Since there are only 8 of them I spent the other 30 minutes last week shooting hoops with some of them and being able to just hang out. So even though our program is only 30 minutes long, I value the time I get to spend with them outside. So I'm a happy camper (who needs to really work on my Basketball Skills)

* Just a couple weeks ago we talked with the juvies about value and the question in the room was: Why do you matter to God? Their answers were awesome: We matter to God because He created us. And our prayers matter to God as well..
On the matter of prayer we then found out that these guys get together in a prayer circle before they get locked up for the night. A week later I actually saw the prayer circle and heard them pray for each other that night. (By the way, I never suggested a prayer circle! This was their initiative! I always just encourage them to apply their faith NOW!)


In numbers:

• At Jail we have 100% turn out to the program with 2 regular volunteers. 
• At prison we have 70-80% turn out of the target population (under 18 years of age) with one regular volunteer
• We are mentoring 3 kids and 2 parents right now. All of those kids are going through the court system right now. 

The more we work with youth and the court system we realize that there are LOTS of things we have to be aware of. The amount of waivers our parents and youths have to sign is insane, but it keeps it safe for us all.

I'm also very picky in the selection of my volunteers, which is the reason that you don't see crazy numbers... :)

Even though these are small beginnings, I think we are creating a solid base and (prayerfully) youths that will KNOW that God is there for them; no matter what they've done or where they've been.

So thankful to be part of this ministry that is presenting radical grace and Jesus to these kids.

Adoption vs guardianship

The other week I was very privileged to be present at an adoption. It was my first time and it was very memorable.
The main part of the 15 minute ceremony is a list of questions:

• Do you believe this is in the best interest of the child?
• Can you provide for the child?
• Are you aware that the child will have the same rights as any of your natural born children?....

That last question makes you think, doesn't it? When we talk about adoption it is permanent. There's no way out, you can't back out or change your mind.

This is it.....

Working with High Risk Students I sometimes wish that these questions would be asked of people wanting to become parents?

• Do you believe THIS family would be in the best interest of your future child?
• Can you actually provide for your future child?

I've just witnessed the devastation that guardianship can have in a child's life. It is NOT permanent and at any time the child might hear these words:

'I am done! I have wasted 15 years with him/her. He/She treats us like crap and doesn't respect our home at all. And on top of that He/She is not even my real kid. It's just a step kid. I AM DONE.'

The sad thing is, that I am not making this up. I heard those words come out of someone's mouth right in front of their child. His/Her security was gone that moment. What do you think went through her mind.

Guardianship is NOT permanent and I don't even know how this child will deal with what was said.

Looking at faith, I am SO glad that God adopted us as His children. It's permanent. He's stuck with us... It gives me security.

What are your thoughts?

That darn red button

So the transmission of my car finally gave up and I have been car-less. It's one of those opportunities for God to show up like crazy! And that He did:

• Car broke down
• I cried, then realised this is not helping
• Texted a bunch of people and asked for prayer
• Got offered about 7 rides within 10 minutes
• Took the one that included a free tow!
• Cried again (Still NOT helping)
• Prayed some more
• Peace
• Friends gave me A BUNCH of money towards repair or 'new' car - my choice
• Still without car and lots of places to go.. (Prison and mentoring appointment!!)
• Walked into a meeting and told 2 people that I didn't quite know how to make those appointments
• Both offered me their car.

And thus comes the story of that darn red button...
I was driving my friend's car (a Mercedes - got some brownie points with some of the officers at prison) and was talking to her about the red SOS button. And she said I should totally push the button! She said it wasn't quite what you'd expected.
But in the background her son was yelling that I should wait until I am back at their place, so he can be there.
So I was like, cool... I'll wait!
I got to their house, got him to sit in the car with me and in awe I push that button.... A little flap opened just like on a rocket ship or something to reveal another red button underneath! It was magical... And not quite what I expected.

And the red button... Well, it looked intriguing. So I asked her (13 year old son): 'Should I push the red button?' And he said (what every 13 year old would say): YES!!

So I did! (I don't need much encouragement)

At first nothing much happened. But then we heard some faint noise that was coming closer. Within minutes we were engulfed in bright white light from above, as a helicopter was hovering over us.
A rope ladder fell out and and what seemed to be a Navy Seal climbed down to us. I was slightly panicked, but tried to remain calm.
The 13 year old was laughing hysterically and my friend was still on the phone. I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen, but I started saying my good bye's to my friends in my head.










OK, so I basically just managed to start the call with the Mercedes Onstar equivalent... Oops!



In other news... I would still appreciate any prayer for this situation. I probably still need another $1,000 to get my old car going again and have it safe. And if I go for a 'new' car, then I need the deal of the century... it's decision time! :)

So, the other day...

I went to prison to talk to my juvies... Now, usually I love that time, but things have been super busy, somewhat stressful and that day my trip to the prison just felt like one more thing on a long list of things I had to do... I wasn't into it...

But of course I went... They expect me there and they wait for me. A proven fact, as that day I walked in and one of the officers saw me and said 'Oh good, you are here. They were all worried that you weren't going to come tonight.'

That night I had more of the guys come out than ever before. I am limited by space and can only take a certain amount... And I only had 3 open seats left.

We'd been talking a lot about identity. One of the youth pastors at Central Christian Church had recorded a series of talks on identity and it's been really great seeing these 'kids' wrestle with real stuff in their lives and come up with questions and even some answers.
That night was the last part of the series and it was about passing it on. We talked for quite a while about how we all have gifts and skills that we can use NOW to help others. We even talked about respecting others and how that needs to include the officers. (They like to brush right past that!)

It was a great night and even though I certainly 'wasn't feeling it' when I set out to go, I was so glad I came.
As I was walking out, waiting for my escort, the bubble officer (the guy that sits up top and I really have hardly any contact with him) talked to me through the port (little loudspeaker by the door).
'Hey Mam!'
Me: 'Yeah???' (thinking: What have I done wrong?)
Him: 'Hey, you're a doing a good thing there! Keep doing what you're doing!'

Now, I don't go to prison because I get a pat on the shoulder, but on days like this it was such an encouragement to know that I've made that right choice. Hardly ever have I heard officers say encouraging things like that. And especially not just through the port. That was amazing!

So glad to be part of God Behind Bars!

Heilig Abend aka Christmas Eve

When I was growing up Christmas for me was always Christmas Eve. Christmas Day (and Boxing Day) were just days off to play with your toys you just got.

But Christmas Eve was THE day. We would get up in the morning, decorate the Christmas tree, listen to Christmas music, split off and wrap presents and then in the afternoon or early evening we would go to church.

There were 2 churches we could go to... The more modern, but small one with heating! (You were at least warm, but if you didn't come an hour before, you'd have to stand!) Or the 800 year old church: more seats, but NO heat. So I still associate church at Christmas with sitting in a freezing cold old building.

After church we'd go home and have dinner. Something easy, since my Mum is a firm believer in hanging out with the family instead of with the pots and pans. So sometimes we just had potato salad and bratwurst. But that's Christmas.

After dinner we'd wash up and then all go upstairs. Except for Mum, but I never questioned that. It was amazing to have some Dad time. He would totally play with us some crazy games.

And then the bell sounded. Our cue to come downstairs. So we'd grab the presents we had for the parents and siblings and ran down. The door opened and we would see the Christmas tree lit up for the first time (with real candles... It's not just that I'm old. Nowadays I still know a lot of people who put real candles on their tree for Christmas Eve. And lights for the rest of the time)

There was a little pile of presents for each one of us (we weren't into huge piles) and we would wish each other Merry Christmas and then open our presents. It was quite the magical time. :)

Let's fast forward to now... I've had quite a few Christmases without my family and that's fine. It's a choice I made. Oh, and let's face it... In my little story there I left out all the frustrations and tears that happened as well.. Family is no picnic and you know it.

Anyway, to this day Christmas Eve can be a little shaky for me. There might or might not have been some times when I ended up being a blabbering mess on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Eve I like having people around, eating together and having a good time. It helps keep me sane and happy. And it's fun as well.

So now I celebrate Christmas Eve with church and then food and friends. It works amazingly well for me and I have these great friends who invite me over to their family Christmas Eve dinner (me being the only one who's not related to anyone) and they even let me come late and un-showered from a gig and they feed me.

I get to sit there and enjoy all the good things about families and have a smile about the not so fun things in families (believe me, the not so fun things in family can make for pretty good entertainment when you're not related!)

Well, that is my Christmas Eve. How do you celebrate?

Men's prison... For the first time.

In September 2011 I joined God Behind Bars with the plan to reach youth for God. It's a very general plan, but since I had never worked in prisons before it was probably a good thing it was so general.

We are talking youth in prison or youth who have a parent in prison and need a little help staying out (statistically they are 84% more likely to end up in 'the system' themselves)

So I worked towards that goal:
* Once a month I joined another group that already goes into a youth prison
* Once a week I go to a youth court and offer services as a mentor for youth that is in trouble.
* And once a week I share the God Behind Bars youth version at the jail, hanging with 16 and 17 year old's

Those youths in the jail are being treated as adults before the law and some of them will be sentenced to prison.

Since the beginning of December now I am able to 'follow' these youths to prison and continue to share with them about Jesus! It's one of the most exciting things ever!

In jail they have nothing to do and are quite happy to come to my program. But in prison this 'church thing' is part of their free time. And so far I still had more than half the unit show up to our program every week!

Would you pray with me...?

* Some of the youths in jail and also in prison are only there for a short time. I keep on telling them to find me at church, but they are unsure of church and other Christians. Pray that they come and we can help them on the outside.

* Some of them want to help their families. But they have some really crappy ideas that will get them right back into jail. Pray that they can find a legal job!

* The most repeated question I get is 'Can Jesus fix murder'. And while I have the best answer ever, it takes a while for that truth to settle. Pray for them to find Christ and be radically changed on the inside

* And a prayer request for myself: I need lots of prayer, clarity and strength! I love what I do, but you can never relax when you're inside. Also, a practical request: The prison is outside town and adds 100 miles weekly. That's a bunch more on my car, but also my gas money budget. Pray that God would provide for me!! :)

It's not your fault...

It's not your fault. 

But it is your problem. 

Let me explain:
You are booked on a flight. The flight gets cancelled due to mechanical issues with the plane.

It's not your fault. But it's still your problem. 

Now translate that into the life of an 'average' student here in Las Vegas. Let's just look at ONE aspect of their life. Are you ready?

Parents are split up. 

What's the big deal? Well, let's look at that situation (which is NOT AT ALL their fault, and yet it is still their problem.

These students often have to deal with moving twice every week to a different house and neighborhood.  

They have to deal with 2 completely different set of rules in each house. Most likely one is more relaxed than the other. 

They also have to pretend that these aspects of their lives are fine. If they don't, they run the chance of losing whatever contact they had with one parent.  

They have to deal with the fact that most likely the parents are not able to hide their anger and disgust with each other well. 

I reckon that these students have to deal with a lot. And yet, none of this is actually their fault. 

So it comes with no surprise to me that some students are not that good at dealing with all those issues.

While we can't fix all the problems in the world, we could do well in helping students understand that there are things in their lives that are not their fault and then help them navigate through their problems.

It just means we are there for them. 

We do life together. 

We encourage them when things are hard 

and cheer for them when things go well. 

In the words of a famous show manufacturer: Just do it!

Conversations in Jail...

I haven't blogged in a while.

But of course I've been around my juvies. Remember them? Yep, some of them are still on the inside. And since the last time you heard from me we also had some new additions.

Over the last few weeks this is what's been going on:

One of them keeps on complaining that he feels bad now when he does something wrong. He's never had that before and it bugs him. (I tried to explain to him that this is one of the first ways that God speaks to us. He's still chewing on that)

Most of them have a hard time understanding that God really cares and loves them. They've been bad for so long that they truly believe that there is no hope for them. This is one of the saddest statements I have ever heard.

We talk a lot about church and if they would ever fit in. Most of them think that they will stick out like a sore thumb at church and every one will look at them. They are concerned about what to wear and if they can actually wear their usual attire (some of which would be associated with gang colors). 

These conversations help me understand how hard it is for someone to come to church and this also helps me to be aware of how much I judge at times. How cool would the world be, if these kids would just have to deal with their own insecurities about coming to church, rather than having to deal with the very real reality that people at church are going to judge them. 

(We don't like to admit that, but let's be real here: We all do!)

They have major questions about faith, God, Jesus, the Bible and dinosaurs. More questions than I will ever be able to answer. So I am talking with some friends who will help answer some of these. Even though I am not the right person to address most of these questions, it fires me up, that they have these questions in the first place. Stuff is moving along. 

Sometimes you hear stuff you don't want to hear. Like when they have court and feel like cussing out the judge was actually a good idea. Or when they feel like the whole world is against them just because of the color of their skin. Or when you meet one of the guys... AGAIN. (after he had been released). 

My prayer: 

I'm asking God to continue to show 

His love and His grace to these kids. 

I am praying for their unit to be known 

for kindness and respect in the whole prison. 

Please join me in that prayer. And if you know stuff about the dinosaurs and God, please let me know! :)

Conversation in Jail - Can Jesus fix murder?

I wish you could meet my juvies and see the things I see.

A couple weeks ago this happened:

'Miss, can Jesus fix murder?'

I was blown away by this question because it was so raw and honest. So much depended on the answer. There was so much fear in it. So many 'what if's'. It was one of the best questions I've ever been asked.

I love that I serve a God who said 'YES' to all of our sin.

What happened next was that I explained again what Jesus has done for us and how it is available to us. And then I saw it...

I saw the guy who had asked the question out of the blue quietly close his eyes and murmur a prayer. He accepted Christ that day.

Thank you Lord for saying YES to us.

the truth about camp or how awesome is cottage cheese?

I went to camp:

• My feet smelled BAD once released from the confines of the sneakers.  
• I ate cottage cheese. every. single. day. 
• I met a bunch of new people (80% of them were junior high age. Seeing as this was a junior high camp with 450+ junior high students, this is ok!)
• I waved my amazing YELLOW blow up 'foam' finger.... (and consequently lost it. Note to self: Do not lend foam fingers to junior high boys)
• I had a mohawk for 'mohawk day'. 
• I spent half a day on the ground waiting for someone to rescue me, because someone had the great idea to have 'attack day' where everybody shoots (pretend) blow darts at you and I just plain out suck at that game and got hit a lot.
• I got wet while kayaking, coz I didn't want to sit in the back. Instead I sat in the middle and almost SUNK the freaking boat. Not a boost for self esteem, but funny nevertheless. 
• I slept in a cabin and was surrounded by lots of dirt, rocks and trees. Some would call it beautiful. I call it nature. 
• I was part of the yellow team. We didn't win. 

It sounds ok, doesn't it? Not great (apart from the cottage cheese) but just ok...

But then you add the God factor. The God factor happens when you present these 450+ junior high students with truth.
The truth about self esteem and what they might see in the mirror (ugly, fat, etc) and how God sees them (beautiful, created with love).
The truth about not having to do everything on your own. Giving up the struggle and trusting God to take it. Surrendering things like drug use or addiction, family problems, peer pressure, alcoholism and more completely to God. (yes, those are all real problems junior high kids struggle with. I suggest you start talking with your kid!)
And the truth about community. The answer to the question of what comes after camp? What happens when I fall back? What happens when I get abused again? 

When you add the God factor to camp it takes camp from ok to mind blowingly great. It makes cottage cheese fade into the background and helps me see the students for who they are. And it gives me hope for this next generation. They can change the world. They will tell others about Jesus. As long as I will tell them! 

Conversations in Jail - Jesus

How do I help my juvies understand how much Jesus loves them?
How do I make them understand how blessed I feel because I can spend time with them every week?

Their understanding of Jesus and Faith is basic at best. 3 months ago one of the worship songs had the word 'Hosanna' in it and they asked 'Miss, who's Hosanna?'

Every time I tell them that I KNOW people who would want to spend time with them and help them be successful they say 'Miss, who would want to spend time with us? We are criminals?'

There are so many things that make it hard to talk about Jesus. (One is, that they keep on calling me 'Miss')

But every few weeks I lay it out there. Every few weeks it's not about living a different life, but it's about the person who gives us life.

This was one of the weeks.

We talked about sin and how ALL sin separates us from God. No matter how big or small. In that way sin is sin and we are all the same before God.
We talked about the difference of consequence for some sins. Stealing a car and running a red light are a little different in consequences.
Then we talked about how God says that there is not one righteous person.

This was to lay the ground work. To help them understand that ALL sin separates us from God.

Then I moved on to what God has done for us. How He sent Jesus for 'WHOEVER'. I talked about who a whoever is.
We talked about what love is and that God loved us first. And how He's not insecure, so that if you don't love Him right now, He's not gonna sit in a corner and cry. But He's still gonna love you.

And then we talked about the 'now what?'. The fact that God wants to change their lives NOW and not when they get out. That is the hardest thing for me to explain and for them to get. I don't speak from experience here, but I know that they can do it!

They CAN do the hard things instead of just coasting (not swearing for a day!)
They CAN be an example in speech, in conduct, in faith in purity.. (1. Timothy 4:12).

You know what was weird? Usually during my talks (they are a bit of a hybrid between a talk and a small group) there are lots of interruptions. Comments, tangents, jokes.... There are a lot of things going on and often I have a hard time keeping their attentions.

But when I did this talk the room was eerily quiet. They all seemed to listen. There was no joking, no questions, no tangents. They just listened. They looked at me and listened.

And suddenly I had that hope again. The hope that God HAS a future and a hope for them. And that it's good. The hope that I will see some of them on the outside and see them succeed. Hope that I am not alone in this. But God is always right there.

I needed that.

Conversations in jail - Dads

This was not a conversation, but more an observation of the atmosphere...

When I go in to talk with my juvies I show them a DVD of the service from Central Christian Church. I only show them the worship, and then do a hybrid of a talk and small group myself afterwards, going along with whatever series is going on in our Junior High and High School environments at church.

But the worship is on DVD. Even though worship is definitely not their preferred style of music, they actually manage to sit through it quietly and every now and then I can even hear them 'sing' a word of two.

This time the worship included a description of how the worship leader spends time with his daughter before going to bed. They hang out and sing a few songs together in her room. Quite a special moment for both of them.

During this story everybody in the room got quiet. (There's usually some chatter going on). And I realised that this story struck a chord with them.

I don't know their stories, their families or what they've done. But I think I know enough to suspect that many of them did not have a Dad like that in their life. A dad who would have a special place and a special moment with them when they were little.

Or even when they were older.

The 'special' moments they've had were with their older brothers when they got introduced to gang members and were allowed to do little errands to earn trust.

Of course not every Dad has the time to do what that worship leader was talking about. But I think every Dad should make time to have that special moment or special activity together.

The special moments I remember with my Dad were at Christmas. My Mum prepared everything downstairs and Dad played with me and my brother upstairs, until Mum was ready.
Or the times during summer when my Dad, my brother and me played soccer after dinner.

My Dad wasn't able to do something every day. But he did stuff with us that only he could do (love my Mum, but she can't kick a ball for the life of her!)

So my prayer for my juvies is that God would help them to see Him. And that they would be able to have a special moment or a special activity with God. I've learned that God sometimes uses our parents to care for us, sometimes He uses other people and sometimes He just does it himself.

Since my juvies are kind of restricted by their location and the rules of their location I pray that God would do it Himself! :)

Conversations in jail - fights

Sometimes I ask my juvies questions and I am blown away by the honesty of their answer....

The latest one went like that:

Me: You guys like to see girls fight???
Them: Yes! It's HOT.
Me: REALLY?? You think that's attractive? As in, you would LIKE to go out with a girl who is not afraid to fight another girl???
Them: Heck yes!
Me: ..... 

Of course I had heard that before that guys think that. But it was more like a rumor to me. But to hear it from a bunch of guys (they ALL agreed) and to hear them talk about it so excitedly was kind of shocking to me.

The day before I was at a BBQ and was mucking around with one of the Junior High Boys. He took it one step further and proceeded to start hitting me with his bandana (like the kitchen towel fights). About 2.5 seconds after he started I heard one of the leaders tell him to stop. Reason? Because you don't hit ladies!

You might smile at that, but I was so thankful that someone was looking out for me. (Of course I could have taken on this 6th grade boy... But anybody could have! That is not the point!)
And I was super thankful that there is still this value of treating girls like girls.

Looking at my juvies I wish someone would have been there for them to tell them not to hit girl, not to hurt others, to respect life and even to be able to walk away and still have dignity.

I wish someone would have told them that their identity is not rooted in how many people they hurt or how many guns they have. But that their identity SHOULD be rooted in who they are in Christ. And that there are people around them who want to help them find that.

Like that leader who over the next 3 years will pour his life into that 6th grade boy to help him become a man. A man who will respect girls and who will pick girls that respect others as well.

One day your 6th grade boy or girl might be play fighting with a bandana. But if no one helps them to understand some boundaries I might get to hang out with them at jail. And I don't want that.

Conversations in jail - Names

My Juvies... I wish you could all meet them! They are incredible to me, make me smile, laugh and feel like I know a little better how God feels when we 'don't get it'.

I've told you before that I've been trying to learn names and that these guys sometimes give me their street names, rather than anything their parents may know them by. 

For me, it's ok to call them whatever they tell me I should call them as long as a) it's not offensive and b) they listen when I say 'their name'. 

The breakthrough came a few weeks back when some of them gave me their real name. That's a big deal for them. 

Names are powerful. We see that already in the Bible where names hold a certain meaning about the life of the individual. 

Names give us identity and therefore these guys like their street names. It's their identity. It's what they are known by, by their friends and also by their enemies. If they know how to handle themselves in tricky situations, then their street name carries importance and makes them feared by others. 

And that is also why giving me their real name is a sign of trust. And it makes me excited every time it happens. 

Today it didn't happen. I tried to learn all their names again and couldn't for the life of me remember the name of one of the guys. So they started 'helping' me. 

In the end, he 'suggested' to be called 'smurf' (They all wear blue!). I warned him that that's what I will call him unless he tells me his name (street name or real thing) and he decided smurf was ok with him. 

So I called him 'Smurf' the whole lesson long. And I grew quite fond of calling him that. And I think he did too! This might be the first 'cute' street name ever. 

I hope he keeps it! 

Good night Smurf! Hope you know how much Jesus Loves you! 

Running the race... Forward

As a small group we have been going through a study called 'A Life worth watching' by Central Christian/Jud Wilhite. You can check it out here. (Which, by the way, those prices are for reals people!)

Anyway, this week's key verse was Philippians 3:14: 'I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.'

It talked about going towards something. But it also talked about leaving your past behind. Whenever I had heard about leaving your past behind I always whole heartedly agreed. Why wouldn't I want to leave all the crap behind... 

All the times I lied, cheated, offended? I would GLADLY leave them behind. 

But tonight this study challenged me to think further... 

'You can't move forward while looking backward. What's behind you is behind... ... Even the positive impact you have contributed is over. There is more work to be done, so hanging out in memory lane won't help you finish the course.'
In the video it said 'Yesterday ended last night' (or something like that! :) 

So in order to move forward I don't just have to let go of the stuff I LIKE letting go off. The crap stuff. 

But I also have to move on from the positive impact I've had. It's great that I've been part of the lives of many people; leading them to Christ, discipling them, teaching them or just telling them about Jesus. Some of those are amazing stories, but there is new work, new challenges, new things for me to do in order to finish this race. 

Still has me puzzled. In a good way. 

What do you think?

Discipleship is more than information (via ericgeiger.com)

I found this pretty cool blogpost here

Click on this link and read it! It's about the massive difference between teaching discipleship and teaching others to OBEY what Jesus said.
It's about the difference of calling Him Rabbi or calling Him Lord.
It helps me understand what I can do in my life to change.
It helps me understand what Jesus is really after.

Loved the post! Thanks Eric Geiger, And thanks twitter! Coz that's where I found these pearls of wisdom! :)

Conversations in Jail

I love my juvis. Love hanging out with them. Telling them about Jesus, having them ask questions and generally having a good time.

The other week these were some of the responses I got:

Me: There are people out there who totally want to hang out with you and help you.
Juvi: No offense Miss (that's me... So weird). But no one wants to hang out with ex felons.
Me: No really, I've talked to them. I am one of them
Juvi: Why would they want to do that? We are ex felons. They don't wanna hang out with us. 

Me: Tell me something or someone you're proud of.
Juvi: Oh that's easy. Nothing and Noone.
Me: *heart broken*

Me: I wanna learn your names. (goes around and has them tell me their names. I usually get their street names and never their real names which is fine with me.)
Juvis: Miss, do you know my real name?
Me: No, you never told me!
Juvis: *pause* Miss, my real name is Bradley (name changed for privacy reasons).
Me: *jumping up and down on the inside*

Me: Tell me the most important person in your life and why?
Juvi: My Mum, because she's always been there for me. Even though I am in here!
Me: What was the hardest thing you ever had to do aside from being in here?
Juvi: Tell my Mum what I'd done. 

Me: I want to give you a challenge this week. (we do challenges EVERY week. One that we had to revisit is the one about not swearing. Now it's not just not swearing. It's just not swearing at church. LOL.) This week I want you to replace negative thoughts about yourself with positive ones.
Juvi: (who has been a pain in the behind for the past 6 weeks, has never listened, always been disruptive and been on the verge of being kicked out more than once) I like that challenge! I'm totally gonna do that Miss!
Me: *jumping up and down on the inside!*

These are just some of the conversations that happen when I hang out with them. Actually all these happened in one night! It also should be noted that these are not your average Juvis. I might call them Juvis, but a lot of them will be tried as adults and are seen by the law as adults. It suggests that what they have done was bad. Really bad.
And yet I believe they deserve a chance. First of all a chance to hear about Jesus ('Miss, who's Hosanna??') secondly a chance to be the person that God wants them to be.

Please continue to pray with me for my Juvis. Every Saturday I get to talk to up to 20 of them. And yeah, I kinda like them!

Thankful

Last night I had a bit of a crisis and tweeted 'Officially freaking out about the Germany trip'. After a bit of back and forth, where I explained a little as to why and what it boils down to (It's really a trust in God issue), I got this tweet back:

@jackie_doyle: Maybe time to remember how many times He's come through for you in times past. That's   what I do when faced with something big...

Sometimes I have the best friends ever, even though I haven't met them.
Since I am QUITE aware that I could be working on a list of ALL God has done and provided for me for months, I figured I would just limit myself to this year: 2012
In no particular order:

Had my car fixed in January ($400+)
Still very thankful for said car, which was a complete gift of God
Paid my taxes. On time.
Got my gas tank filled in April THREE times for free. (I have one supporter who fills it twice a month, which is SO awesome. But the third time was a HUGE blessing and bonus)
I got to go to kINdSOMNIA. Love that my church is able to offer going to those kind of events for free for leaders. It's really nice.
Finally used my Christmas Groupon bucks and booked a yoga experience I really liked. Not enough to become a member, but at least it wasn't scary.
Right now I love my Groupon place where I can swim and lounge at the pool. Although their sales technique sucked.
I finished my blanket. (I crocheted it and it took almost 6 months to finish and many, many skeins of yarn. An estimate in cost is about $75 for the blanket... It's REALLY big. And I couldn't tell you how many skeins I used, because I buy them one by one.)
My phone is completely 100% sponsored which is HUGE!!! (Not the phone - the blessing!)
More than a month ago I started going into the youth unit at the jail and I LOVE it.
LOVE my friends and all the crazy stuff we do together

Looking at this list definitely helps me see how much God is for me and not against me. And this is just a 5 minute brainstorm of what God has done in the last 4 months.

Thankful....

Dear Future Me

So how is life? I wonder about a few things and hope you can answer some of my questions:

1: Have you ever found out why Ellen and Oprah were so freaking famous earlier on? I just can't get why people watch them or what it is that makes them famous. Do people even know who they were?

2: Has anybody been working on a device (or a food) that would enable us to lift ourselves up with our own farts? Still thinking there are some new sports out there, like human air hockey.

3: Has alcohol-free beer really stuck around? It seems weird since you could just have a coke instead of an alcoholic drink.

4: Has anybody invented a wooden chair that actually works? Or one that would be worth fixing? (remember how you 'fixed' those antique chairs? Yeah, they never worked again.

5: If you're still using mobile phones, has anybody managed to improve the battery life yet? I mean, they figured out how to make it smaller, then bigger again, then more apps, better call quality (not really), better plan... But no one worked on the battery...

6: if you're still in the USA, do they still have the normal light bulbs? And do they still insist on using toilet seat covers? What about free refills on sodas? (now that's a GREAT thing). And what about those HUGE cars?

These are all things I would love to find out. But the most important thing I want to know is if you managed to stick close to God and tell as many people as you can about Him. Remember how you wanted to go deeper with Him? Experience more adventures, talk to more people? You better have done that by now, Future Me. Remember how Jesus needs to be the center of your life. Maybe a lot of things have changed. Some for the better, some for the worst. But, Furture Me, hear me: You better have not let go of the one thing that never changes!! You better have a stronger faith, a better understanding of who Jesus is and you better have learned to listen and obey (not the delayed obedience, but the real thing).

Good on ya, Future Me, if you're still hanging with Jesus and sharing Him with others. If NOT, you better get your butt back to Him. And tell Him 'Sorry' from Past Me.

When you find a cool website...

you should share it... 
So I'm doing it...


Click here to read this report


It's a really cool photo report about juvenile detention in the US. Makes me think. 

What got these kids to those places? Not as in, what crime. But what was their home life like?Did they ever have someone who cared enough to actually set breakfast out on a table, with cutlery and plates and stuff? Did someone tell them that they are loved?How were they talked to? Was there yelling in almost every sentence?  

 Why did they mess up so bad?

This is why I love going into the juvenile detention center and talking to them about Jesus and how he took their sentence. He took everything they deserved. 

Grace - getting something we don't deserve

And how can we stop youths from getting into 'the system'? The question I'm asking myself is 'What can I do to give these youths a chance to hear about Christ and to feel loved?


Here's a chart from that website that also made me think:

That really makes me think about the great need of teaching, mentoring and CARING long before these kids become criminal.


What do you think?