House filled with Hope

I have spent the past month or so doing something I so love to do....working with teenage girls. Sure, it was the most difficult time I have ever had as a mom, and yet I so love my daughters and am so proud of the young ladies they are becoming each day.
The House of Hope is a wonderful Christian, not for profit home created to help troubled teenage girls. The director, Miss Marilyn is a retired Social worker who founded this home and has so graciously allowed me to come in and work with the girls there.
I couldn't be more thrilled to give some of the abundance of free time I have by volunteering there. Usually I assist the staff member who is paid to supervise and work with the teenage girls. However, the staff members expressed the love and need for someone just like me to come in and assist them so they can better serve the girls. PERFECT!!! Exactly what I want to do! I don't need financial compensation to fill a void where I am needed and the burden is not placed on my shoulder (A priceless position in my opinion).

There are currently six girls at H.O.H. and a handful emotionally at that. S just turned 16 and is on "phase 2" in the program. The girls work through different phases before they are sent to "home phase" which is actually time for the girls to be reunited with their parents. On Phase 2, you are allowed to go home for the weekend as be with your family yet, the girls are still in HOH's custody. Phase 2 allows the girl more freedoms than the lower phasers. She is trusted with more responsibilities such as verbal contact with other girls in the house. If the girls are on a lower phase, they are not allowed to speak to another girl in the house at any time. Even on phase 1, which C is on, one is not allowed to speak to any of the other girls. C is given one 5 min phone conversation with her parents once a week, as well as a personal 30 min visit once a week from her parents. All contact is monitored by staff on this phase, but the girl on this phase is just thrilled to see and speak with their family member. K-1 is the one who reminds me most of myself. She is 15 years old and is on "orientation phase" even though she has been at HOH for months. K-1 has 4 older brothers and lost her mother last year. She has spoken of her responsibility of taking care of everyone else and seems to have lived a life of coming and going when she pleased. She's a tough little cookie, but K-1 and I are pretty bonded because of our similar links. I'm hardest on K-1, yet she so looks up to me as a motherly figure. I don't take this position of mine lightly and encourage K-1 to keep looking forward as best she can. (She gets bored pretty easily) Orientation phase can last as long as the girl who is on it chooses it to last. This is the phase where they have to accept responisbility for their actions 100% of the time. This is also the stage where there is no contact with the family until they reach Phase 1 in hopes of encouraging each girl to press through the tough times to reach Phase 1. None of the girls on Orientation phase are allowed to speak to other orientation phasers at any time. K-2 has been at the house as long as I have. She is a black girl and truly brave to ask me to cut all of her hair off. (I had never cut a black persons hair before) Oh, K-2 is beautiful inside and out, and her hair is simply adorable sporting the short afroe look. K-2 was adopted, and while I don't know any of these girls stories personally, I know they are so loved by their parents for investing in their daughter's as they have. T, is 14 and is just a brave little girl. She came to HOH a couple of weeks ago and has shown herself to be a tough little cookie. The one night I was left to care for these girls on my own, T became horribly sick in the night yet never complained or cried how much she wanted to go home. (I would have for sure) I feel a special bond to T just because of her bravery at such a young age. K-3 is the youngest girl I have seen at HOH yet. She is 12 years young and seems to be hurting terribly. She came to the house just two short nights ago and last night had an understandable breakdown as she recognized the confinement she is in. I miss these girls when I am not around them....I look forward to the next time I will be able to go and see them, but I also recognize I have a family as well.
My husband is so supportive and proud I am working with these girls, and I am so proud he is willing to come and play games with them to fill up the girls freetime on the weekends. Michael is such a great guy for all his support at HOH. I don't know what this year holds for me, for Michael, or for my service at HOH. But, I thank God every chance I get for allowing me this opportunity. What a blessing it is to be in these girls lives.