This is a LONG one :)
I knew that I wanted to do something worthwhile with my summer; I just had no idea what to do. I thought about a lot of volunteer opportunities around and nothing really suited my fancy. That’s when I found Girls Inc. Girls Inc. is a non-profit organization that empowers young girls to be women of character and integrity. Reading about the organization got me more interested and the more I prayed about it the more I felt that God was really leading me to Girls Inc. When I realized that Girls Inc. had a branch right around the corner from my house, I knew it was right and I called right away. I ended up starting the next day not knowing what to expect.
Walking in that next day was strange. I was obscenely early so when the kids arrived I was already there. Boys and girls trailed in. I got confused and decided I was in the wrong spot because I wasn’t expecting to see boys, but I looked around and saw Girls Inc. signs everywhere assuring me that I was in the right place. The kids just stared at me and took their seats everywhere but near me. One girl waved and I thought maybe she’d come and sit with me but I was wrong. She sat with her friends at a table nearby and they all stared at me like I was an alien. At that point, I really wanted to leave. I was never good with little kids and all of these kids were about 6-12 years old. I felt defeated thinking that maybe God didn’t have this in mind for me, maybe I misunderstood Him.
Finally, I realized that I had to be in Girls Inc. for a reason and it was silly of me to think that bonding with these kids would be a piece of cake. So I went to go and sit with a group of girls and before I knew it they were hanging from my neck and showering me with hugs. After opening up to the girls it was easier for me to approach other kids and for them to approach me. We did homework (I didn’t realize how rusty I was on 3rd grade math) and played games.
I don’t want to make Girls Inc. sound like a sunshine and berries place, these kids are 6 going on 16. They curse more than my friends from high school and their fists are always clenched ready to fight. Just by being with them for a few days I began to understand why many of them act the way they do. Every time I tell them my age they ask if I have a child because all they see is girls my age with children. The older kids and I have argued whether or not Marijuana is bad and when I said it was, a boy got offended because his brother smokes it daily. They are children that are screaming for attention and yearning to be encouraged.
Sometimes I leave Girls Inc. so frustrated and ready to give up. But my love for them and A LOT of praying keeps me going back. I feel like God is using Girls Inc. to teach me about love. Loving someone seems so easy but in reality it is anything but easy. These kids can be annoying, selfish, uncaring, unforgiving, thankless, and callous. But God has put them on my heart and given me the ability to love them regardless of their behavior. It isn’t easy to love them sometimes but I am certain that it isn’t easy to love me either. I can be annoying, selfish, uncaring, unforgiving, thankless, and callous. But God loves me regardless of my behavior. I pray that as the weeks go on, God will teach me more about love and use me as a way to reach these children.
