To be honest, yesterday was a really difficult day. Seeing the intake center where kids are "processed" after experiencing abuse, being taken off the streets or abandoned, and the precious girls who had been brought there to await their next placement, left me feeling helpless. The place felt dirty, and dark and sad. There were so many needs, so many sad stories, and I wanted to fix everything and knew I couldn't. When I woke up this morning, I knew I would power up and serve. But my heart felt sore and I had trouble preparing myself for another day of seeing girls, many the same age as my own daughters, who had suffered unspeakable hardships and abuse, living in such rough conditions.
But today, there was hope. We walked into a center that was sparkling clean, with caregivers who loved the girls. There were genuine smiles and a feeling of safety. There were flowers and grass and a sense of dignity and care in the place. The girls had experienced similar abuse and brokenness in their lives as the girls the day before, yet they were in the hands of people who cared. We spent some time speaking with one of the caregivers and she clearly loved the girls and was happy to be there with them. And despite the horrors these girls had experienced, they were at least surrounded by love.
At the end of the day, we still had over two hundred dresses remaining. Our team members had fun trying on dresses and they clapped and cheered as each girl found a dress to wear at the quinceanera.
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