Street Girls Update

Some of you have probably already read the update I wrote on the TI website regarding some changes in the street girl program. I wanted that update to be up on the site before I wrote one on my own blog or email.

In the evening on the Friday night before it happened, I started to get sick. Throughout the night and in to Saturday, I was very ill. I was in bed; I couldn’t move: I couldn’t tolerate any type of light or even the smallest sound. I hadn’t suffered a migraine of that magnitude in years. There were moments where the pain was so unbearable, but it hurt too much to even cry.

I missed going out to our children’s home that Saturday but by the time Sarah, Tim and Daniel got home, I was able to get out of bed, still not a fan of the light or loud sound. It was then that Daniel told me what had transpired that day.

Leah and Helena left first. Lilian and Anna battled back and forth; “do we or don’t we?” About an hour later than Leah and Helena, they did. Sarah didn’t. She knew the streets were not where she wanted to be. Rose, our 6th girl, had lost her mom. She had just been notified that her mother had passed away. She was given permission to go and be with her family during that time.

I couldn’t believe it. I was angry and frustrated. Why, why would they want to go back to the streets? As I said in an email after it happened, “Why are the streets so appealing? Why do these girls choose a life that will lead to death of either AIDS, a drunken jerk in the slums beating them or the glue destroying their brains? Or they could get pregnant; give birth to second generation babies and not be able to care for their own children?”

And then I was heartbroken, completely and utterly heartbroken. We’ve built relationships with these girls; I LOVE these girls. We fight for them; we pray for them; we love these girls. And they left. We see the potential in them; we see the women that they could become but they don’t. They choose not to.

The streets are easy, no rules, no boundaries, no routines. Is that it? Is that the attraction?

We had to let those four girls go. They made the decision and we have to stand on the things that we agreed upon with the girls. The house went from six to two…in one day.

Then just a few days later, we brought in three new girls: Metrine; 13, Jennifer; 12 and Theresa; 10. Metrine and Theresa are doing well; they are not addicted as much to the streets as Leah, Lilian, Helena and Anna were. Metrine and Theresa are not addicted glue sniffers. Jennifer is a little more used to the streets and the glue. She is struggling a bit but thankfully to the other girls in the home, they are helping her along.

The house has a different atmosphere to it now. I miss the silliness of Lilian’s hands flailing around when she talks; Anna’s off the wall comments that have nothing to do with the topic of conversation, Leah’s hold handing and Helena’s big, strong hugs.

I saw Anna the day we were bringing the new girls to the home; she was sorry for leaving, and said she would try better next time. It was another’s girls fault she left. I saw Lilian and Helena just two days ago. Helena hugged me and said, “I’m sorry, Auntie Mary.” Then she and Lilian asked if they could come home. I told them that we had new girls living there now.

I hugged them both so tight. I grabbed each of them by the side of their faces, kissed their cheeks and told them how much I loved them. They smiled at me, those big beautiful smiles and each said, “I love you too, Auntie Mary.”

I don’t give up on them, not at all. I continue to pray for them; I continue to love them; I continue to fight for them but I just trust that God has it all worked out. He is in control of all that we do here; in our lives, in our ministry, in all of it. He has it all figured out; we can’t pretend to understand what’s going on.

Lilian, Helena, Leah and Anna know that I love them…but we also have Metrine, Jennifer, Theresa, Sarah and Rose who are fighting to stay off the streets, to better their futures. It’s an uphill battle for all of these girls; a battle that I can’t comprehend and never will. But I think my place in this is to pray for them, accept them and show them that they are loved, no matter what.

So please, continue to pray for these girls…all of them.

Meredith
xoxoxo