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Thursday, February 8, 2007
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Roller-skating.
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 Today I had a thirteen year old girl ask me if I could take her rollerskating.
"I have a buy-one-get-one-free!" She exclaims, giggling.
How could I say no to such excitement and generosity?
So yes, unco-ordinated me, will be skating with this beautiful brown-haired girl.
Labels: Young People |
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posted by Samantha Louise
4:42 PM
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Who's buying and who's free? :p
That will be two beautiful brown-haired girls skating then yes?
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Warrior and the juvy kid.
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 I love that I can wake up in the morning and have a purpose in my step and vision in my eyes. I love that I can even in the midst of trials know that God is supreme, He is faithful, and that living and dying for the Cause is worth it. Every moment of it.
Last night was great, it was incredible. There is nothing better than watching young people have a passion and a desire for God.
These young people are my inspiration, my heroes. Alot of them come from such broken lives, broken families, broken hearts. Yet there is a drive in them, a fire, that allows them to continue to stand on their feet and keep on fighting. No matter what.
One girl, I will call her Warrior for the sake of this blog entry, inspires me to lay my life down for the King. By God's grace I was able to meet her a couple of years ago, and I can tell you, that since that meeting my life has been incredibly changed. See, a few years ago I would spend my time hanging out in the youth detention center. You know, a place where the so-called "bad kids" would be locked up. And yes, alot of them did do "bad" things such as steal cars, stab people, kidnap people, and so forth. But even though they were "bad" in society, their hearts were so... beautiful. Alot of them challenged me as to why I live my life the way I live my life. Alot of them forced me to go to a new place in my relationship with God and to grow as a christian.
Anyways, back to the story... I would hang out with these kids and one particular evening I met a young girl who was trying to hide and blend in with the couch cushions. There was so much fear in her eyes. It was her first night being locked-up and she hadn't yet been sentenced. We spent the night talking and she shared her heart with me, it was a special moment that will forever be in my memories. Over the next month that she was locked-up we bonded and she took a favour to me, always opting to choose to sit next to me throughout the activities. Once she was released however, I lost contact with her.
Yet, I just could not get her off my heart. Or her family. Her family were just ingrained in me, I had never met them, but God had given me such a love for that family. So I began to pray and ask God for an opportunity to know the family, to somehow, leave a mark there.
A few months later, by events that can only be described as God's intervention, this young girl and I connected outside of lock-up. Her and her best friend, also an ex-juvy kid, took an interest in God and began to follow me to church, and cell/life/small group.
This is where Warrior comes into it.
One night I'm at the young girls house and I'm meeting her family. Her mum, so beautiful so precious... and yes, who I still spend time with... she is a single mother with 8 children. Four different dads. None of the children know their fathers. Life sometimes throw curve balls at us that hurt. I'm in the lounge room waiting for the young girl to be ready and come with me to cell/life/small group. As I'm waiting, a loud-mouthed with the vocabulary of a truck driver, peroxided blonde hair, short unsightly mini-skirt, wearing a top that was extremely unappropriate in so many ways walks out in the room and introduces herself to me.
"Heeyyyyy, I'm Warrior" She says. Immediately I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit tell me that this girl was special. That she stood out. Was marked. Loved. Wanted.
A few weeks later I receive a phone call from Warrior.
"Heeyy, I was wondering if I could come along to what my sister goes to..."
Sure! Definitly!
That night found Warrior, the girl, and the girls best friend in my car. On the way home from small/life/cell group the two ex-juvy kids began acting up. Swearing. Throwing things. Threatening to throw expensive items out of the window. So, ofcourse, I put my foot down and tell them that isn't on, and well, they didn't like that. Next thing I know, as I'm driving 60 k's down the road, the car door is open and the two girls jump out of my car! I quickly pull over, call out to the girls, and watch them laugh at me as they displayed items that they had stolen from my car, and then hurriedly they ran off.
Great.
Silently praying I pull out of the curb and continue driving Warrior home. And then, I hear sniffles. Crying? Sobbing? Looking in my mirror I see Warrior sitting in the back seat with tears streaming down her eyes.
"I don't want to be like my sister!" She screams. "You dont' have to be.." I tell her quietly. "I'm sick of her acting like this! And it's always ME who pays! The teachers at school think I'm going to be like her! I don't want to get locked up! I don't want to be a bad person! I don't want to put stress on my mum! I don't want to act like that! I don't want to be bad! I want to be good! I want to BE GOOD!" She vents. And then, quietly sobbing, she asks "How... How do I become a christian?" That was it. The Holy Spirit got her. She was captured by the Love of God. I can testify that Warrior has not been the same since that night. She has grown and changed and matured in such an incredible way. She is my inspiration. Against all odds she has stood and she has fought. Her love for God is amazing, her maturity and passion is one beyond her years. Since that night she has seen many of her friends meet Jesus too and also seen them transformed. Not only that, but she is an A+ student, running programs, leading others in her school. Modesty and purity is a passion of hers. Her words drip with the love of Jesus and encouragement. She is full of strength, dignity, grace. Warrior is amazing. And I am honoured that I could be her leader! Oh, and incase you are wondering, I still see her sister and her sisters best friend. They both have babies now and seem to want to let go of their wild ways. I love those girls just as much as anyone else. Labels: Used by God, Young People |
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posted by Samantha Louise
2:26 PM
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That is so awesome! You say SHE has a hold on her life... she's not the only one ;) hehe!
Love ya girl! :)
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How does God see us? All that stuff about her appearance, and she is "special"? Talk about not seeing like man does.
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Wednesday, February 7, 2007
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It's back.
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Exciting! Breath of fresh air!
Today everything has started back. I'm in anticipation. I'm looking forward to it. I cannot wait to see how God will move.
First prayer meeting of the year and it was awesome! I feel so so so blessed to be a part of this ministry. Woke up at 5am to get to the prayer meeting, I'm now at work, trying so hard not to fall asleep.
Tonight Life group/cell group/small group/ whatever you want to call it, starts back tonight. Cannot wait.
That is all.Labels: Young People |
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posted by Samantha Louise
4:00 PM
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'm now at work, trying so hard not to fall asleep.
Drink coffee and THEN go to sleep. You can at least say you tried! :P
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Close your eyes for one minute and look what happens - all these new posts!
I know how exciting a breath of fresh air can be. Even a physical one in the country morning. It's so foreign to everyday life, and yet, it's actually how it SHOULD be.
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Saturday, December 9, 2006
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13th Birthday Party
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Upon returning from a 13-year old girls birthday party, I locked myself in my bedroom and cried for her. I have been lying on my bed for quite some time now, crying out to God for this young girl and her future. My heart is breaking and I can feel the tears that God is crying for her, I can feel God's heart for her. I want to break her free from her life, I want to run up to her, grab her and help her escape. There is nothing I can do but love her and pray for her and believe for her.
Birthday parties are supposed to be about fun, laughter, happiness, freedome, an opportunity for a young girl to be herself. But the atmosphere of the room was one full of sadness, heaviness, loneliness, hopelessness.
I love this kid and I would die for this kid and I just pray that she'll break free.
She is full of bondage. Full of brokeness, and it is only the blood of Jesus that can see these chains broken off.
The mother. The only family member in her life. She is beautiful, she has sadness her in life. She opens up to me and tells me how she has been a cocaine addict and an alcoholic for the first 11 years of this daughters life. This young mother is doing all she can to make up for her daughters first 11 years in the world, but she herself needs some love and care. A grown adult on the outside, but a small scared child on the inside. Showing me her bedroom it hit me that this mother never grew up. Her room is blue. Blue with dolphins. A dolphin pillow, dolphin doona, dolphin posters, dolphin toys, dolphin photo frames, DOLPHINS DOLPHINS DOLPHINS. Wherever you look- there are dolphins. This room honouring dolphins resembled a 10 year old girls room. It is the heart cry of this mother. She wants to be like a dolphin, be free like a dolphin, have no worries like a dolphin. Her years of addiction have broken her spirit.
The party. We sat on a couch. The girl, her mother, the girls friend, and two other girls who were forced to come to the party by their own mother, and ofcourse me. Nobody else showed up. We sat in silence as the mother complains about how much of a nusiance it is to throw a 13-year old party. She complains that it was alot of effort to organise the food.
The food. One bowl of chips. A plate of party pies. A bottle of 1.25 litre soft drink. And coloured popcorn sitting in a playschool lunch box. It seems that the decorations were better prepared than the food.
The decorations. A handful of baloons around the room, a couple of streamers dangling from the window. And a party hat for the girl.
The girl. She sits there tears welling in her eyes. Long brown hair hiding her face, hiding her pain, hiding what she feels. Dreams of a 13-year-old party were stolen from her.
I look at her and hold her gaze and begin to tell her that she is a champion. That I love her. That she is worth it. That she is made for greatness. That she is here for a reason and a purpose. That her teenage years will be significant and that God will use her in mighty ways.
Everybody stares at me as I speak. But I don't care. This 13-year-old needs to hear it.
Now I'm here, crying for this girl, crying for her soul. Crying out to God for her.Labels: Used by God, Young People |
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posted by Samantha Louise
3:59 PM
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All my memories of birthday parties were nothing short of magical. I am so grateful to my parents for the effort they put in, and to God for my parents! I would say there are lots of kids out there who need someone outside of their family to step in occasionally and be part of that family for them, whether it be helping organising a party, attending a graduation ceremony, or taking them shopping. Go Louise!
But whenever possible do it with the parents - you don't want to try to supplant them.
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Friday, November 24, 2006
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Battle field..
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It's time to step out into the battle field.
My heart is pounding fast, my palms are sweaty- I know that the next few days of war will be significant.
Am I ready? I don't feel ready. But since when do we base such importance on feelings... ?
My sword has been sharpened and polished. It glistens in the sun. I'm ready to use it as a form of attack against the enemy. My helmet is firmly on my head, ready to take captive of any thought that comes against me. I have my shoes on, my battle shoes! Ready to walk into any situation, to change the atmosphere, to carry peace. I have my breastplate on and belt fastened around me. Yes, I am ready. The King has prepared this armour especially for me, how could I not be ready?
The weekend is going to be powerful. Slaying demons, in my King's name. Seeing bondages broken, in my King's name. Releasing captives from prison, in my King's NAME. And seeing these freed people step into all that God has for them.
It's time to go to war.
It's time to go to youth camp.Labels: Used by God, Young People |
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posted by Samantha Louise
10:07 AM
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Thursday, November 23, 2006
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Green-eyed-dirty-blonde-haired girl
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It's the green eyes that got me. Freckles on face. Dirty blonde hair. Smirk on face. Clenched fists.
She was small in stature but tough in heart. Walls around. Cold stares. She had a world that refused to let anyone in.
Yet, there was something about her.
I watched her across the school yard as she pushed a peer. Laughed at her. And tried to pour noodles down the young girls back.
Yes, this green-eyed-dirty-blonde-haired 13 year old; she was a character.
I say, HI. She says, BYE.
The following week...
I say, HI. She says, GET LOST.
Another week goes bye...
I say, HI. She says, I TOLD YOU TO GET LOST.
A breakthrough in this pattern was needed. So I did only what I knew how. I got on my knees and I prayed. All week I prayed for green-eyed-dirty-blonde-haired 13 year old. Cried for her. Fought for her.
A week later...
I say, HI. She says, Hey... been looking for you.
I look at green-eyed-dirty-blonde-haired 13 year old and smile. She sits down and stares back at me, sadness in her big green eyes.
I say, You've had a tough week haven't you?
She says, How'd you know?
I say, I prayed for you.
She says, You prayed for me?
I say, Yes ofcourse I prayed for you I care about you.
She says, Nobody ever cares about me.
I say, God does.
Two months on and we come to yesterday.
Green-eyed-dirty-blonde-haired 13 year old skips up to me, big smile on face, green eyes shining life.
She says, HI.
I say, Hey... been looking for you.
She says, You been praying for me?
I say, Always.
She says, I started praying this week.
I say, You did?
She says, Yes... you inspired me. You cared for me. Now I want to pray. I want to know God.
Labels: Used by God, Young People |
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posted by Samantha Louise
3:26 PM
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here we go.. your first comment.
Wow to this! I'm part of the youth team at my church and it's encouraging to see how much being you, being nice to kids can make a difference.
(and it'd be a good idea to enable 'non-blogspot' comments and turn on word verification so you don't get spammed) :)
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Awesome testimony! Thanks so much for sharing what a good spur!
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Who's buying and who's free? :p
That will be two beautiful brown-haired girls skating then yes?