van stats!

As I was driving to do rides for TreeHouse this week, I looked out at the hood of our mini van and smoke was billowing out! I pulled over and had to have another TH van pick me up! So for the first time in a long time I got to ride in the back of a van and have conversations with the youth in my van. There were only 10 kids in the van and as I was looking around I was seeing the diversity, beauty and brokenness of each of them.

7 of them come from one parent families or families of divorce.

3 of them have parents in jail.

2 of them have been raped or molested.

8 of them struggle in school and feel un-heard.

5 different races were represented.

2 of them have father's who are actively involved in the gang system.

1 has been in jail.

5 have been physically abused by their parents.

1 is not from America.

2 have been pregnant.

All of them want to be loved!

Thank you for helping me love on these incredible and beautiful youth!

"I have no more tears to cry."

I just started mentoring a new girl at TreeHouse. She is a senior in high school and one of the most open and honest people I have ever met. She has had some life experiences that have made her very cold and hard towards the world. She has no patience for people and doesn't want fake relationships.

On my second time meeting her she retold me of the extensive abuse she endured as a child. Things that would have haunted me forever, but she simply said, "I have no more tears to cry." As she was telling me about this I just kept on praying. God, be with her, heal her heart, show her she is worth more, help me listen, help me love.

It's hard for me to image what must have happened to her for her to say she has no more tears to cry. It is amazing to me that she continues to reach out to God and want a relationship with him. She is turned off from most people, relationships, sex and love, but she still loves God. That is amazing to me.

She answers any question I have for her and always welcomes advise. She is on track to graduate high school this year which means I will only get to mentor her through the end of this summer. I really hope that our relationship will continue to grow and that she will be impacted by the ministry at TreeHouse.