Graduation Day!

Friday was a beautiful and perfect day as 8 precious girls took flight; Priscila, Yerlin, Fabiola, Maria Fernanda, Grethel, Guady, Stephannie and Maripaz.

The day began with make-up and hair for the graduates, which took most of the morning. Then the finishing touches on comedor where we had graduation. With every graduation, previous generations of graduates return to celebrate and encourage the other girls. This time around, we had almost 16 return and most of them were ones I knew. It’s good to see how they continue to grow and transform.

The ceremony consisted of several of the heads of different agencies or institutions, with whom we work, encouraging the girls in their transformations. The Debora cabana did two interpretive dances and the Tamara girls sang a song. Yerlin told her story of transformation and then it ended with the certificates and all the girls singing the “anthem of Renacer”, Flower in the Rain by Jaci Velazquez. (Of course, sung in Spanish.)

It was a perfect day and I didn’t even cry, a few moments of watery eyes. I have included some pictures of the days events but I am unable to show you close ups of the girls because they are in the protective care of the State of Costa Rica.

My Formacion Cristiana Team. Tiffany, Loyda and myself.

Merciful and Redemptive Grace

Yes, I am a missionary but that doesn’t mean I’m any different than any other Christ-follower. I struggle with sin just as everyone else does. I have times when I’m close to God and times that I can so quickly put up a wall between Him and me before I even know what I’m doing. I have come to find out that I’m really good at putting up walls and it’s a defense mechanism, doesn’t make it alright to do though.

Unfortunately, I have found myself in a several week pattern of a wall up between me and God over some hard things I’m avoiding to work on with Him, because they are ugly and painful. Yet, I find His amazing grace so merciful and redemptive. In the midst of my avoidance, God still calls my name and He even still uses me. (I would have just thrown me out a long time ago!)

Today was one of those days I saw that merciful and redemptive grace in action. After lunch, one of my girls finally got the nerves up to talk to me (she’s been trying for 2 weeks now). Through her tears she told me of her struggles with an idol that has taken over her mind. (Just so happens that this struggle has to be the very one I’m dealing with.) She is broken and wants change but doesn’t know how to get her mind off of it. We talked a little while about it and she gave me her folder for me to read her homework.

I was amazed at the honesty in her homework and the sincere cry of her heart. I might as well been reading my own journal. It was awesome, how God flooded me with verse after verse for her, and can I say for myself. I sat there in awe just marvelling over the greatest of our God and His grace. It has given me that hope again to keep moving forward. I pray, too, that this is the hope she needs and that God does amazing work in this young girl’s life.

God is Working!

Today was another fun day at work. The morning started off with 6 of the girls finding out that they have finished their process! Some have been in process for 18 months. These girls, my girls, whom I have seen change right before my eyes are about to spread their wings and fly. I can’t believe that these girls, a total of 8, will no longer be there. They have been there the entire time I have been there. What a change it will be but how exciting it is!

I had two individuals today with two of my girls who just got that great news and it was so fun to see the joy they had. With one girl I closed our theme of how to continue the personal relationship with Jesus once she leaves Renacer. She seems to be doing well and has a good plan in place for how she will continue to learn and grow.

The other was even more exciting. She has had a hard time believing God really loves her and really has forgiven her of her sins. While she was on a home pass last week she had an incredible encounter with God. One in which has changed her. Two weeks ago, she was crying non-stop because she just didn’t believe. Today she was all smiles and was confident that Jesus loves her and died for her sins, all of them.

I got to teach her how to do a word study on God’s love and she was eating it up. She didn’t want to end our time because she wanted to keep doing the exercises. I’m excited that she can do them on her own and I can’t wait to talk to her next week to see even more of what God is doing in her life. Yea God! This is so worth it!

I Love My Job!

Can I just say I love my job? Well I do! Yesterday was my first day back from my week off due to my mandatory vaca and it was great to be back with my girls. I love seeing how God does His transforming work.

One of our newer girls started the process looking and acting like a guy. She thought of herself as a guy and thus also had lesbian thoughts and actions. She didn’t wear makeup and her hair usually covers most of her face so you can’t see her eyes. About two weeks ago she accepted Christ as her personal Savior. Praise God! The thing that I love is to see the transformation that has come over her.

Yesterday when I saw her, she had make-up on, her hair pulled back, and looked like a girl, a beautiful girl. She appears to be happier, more confident, laughing, and opening up more. I love how God does that when He comes into someone’s life. Most of the times we don’t get to see such a dramatic change so quickly but wow she was hungry! Yea Jesus! This is what gets me through the hard days when I want to pack up everything, throw in the towel and head back to the states.

Today, I taught both of my groups. I was really excited about both of the lessons and thought the girls would really like them. I have been trying to make the Bible Studies a lot more interesting and keep them different because I want to the girls to enjoy the time as well and not be an hour and half of me talking.

So I taught the girls of Debora on the first of two lessons about the fruit of the Spirit. God gave me a great outline and then an idea to paint the lesson as I taught and then they would paint something similar to what I painted. Then next week we will finish the lesson and paintings. The girls loved it!! Several of my 13 girls told me that they weren’t looking forward to Bible study but now they are so happy and can’t wait to the next one. One even said she wants to tell my boss that they want Bible study several times a week! Yea God!

I wish I could say my second class with Ester (7 girls) went that well. I think it was more the lesson I taught and satan trying to be the jerk he is. I taught on Adam and Eve and what sin is. I had changed the lesson to make it less info and more visual teaching and telling the story. My girls were everywhere. For example, I was talking about how Adam and Eve were naked and then God had to make clothes for them. It was about 10 minutes later, talking what Jesus did for us on the cross, when one of my girls raised her hand and asked "If Adam and Even were made in God’s image, then is God nude?” These were the random questions I dealt with the whole time.

I had to tell them if they kept getting off topic we wouldn’t have time to do our painting. This made more talk about “what we don’t get to do our painting now?” It was rough. But I know I must be confident in that God gave me the lesson and that His word does not come back void.

Tomorrow is our 2 ½ hour meeting to review the girls’ cases that will be graduating in 2 weeks and I also have two individuals tomorrow. I look forward to spending the time, personally, with these girls since they will not be there much longer. Two more days to go, what will God do? I can’t wait to see!