Where my Prayer Warriors at?

Okay, you were supposed to hear the title in Kirk Franklin’s voice followed by shouts of praise and much rejoicing. If the grammar of the title bothers you, pretend it says otherwise :-)

This week I began a month-long training to become a Guardian ad Litem (GAL), court-appointed child advocate. In South Carolina, this is a volunteer opportunity through the office of the governor. Though we’ve only had two lessons, I can’t wait to be assigned cases. I feel bizarre saying that I look forward discussing child abuse and neglect for 3 hours, but I think it just demonstrates my passion to help the victims of it.

It has been easy to focus on my job in Charleston and not be reminded of the many abused children I worked with last year, but this training keeps bringing them to mind. (For more about them, click here.)

I called one of the employees still at the boys’ home this week to serve as a reference for my GAL application and he filled me in with their current situation.

Last Friday, they celebrated the high school graduations of 3 of the boys. One had been there since he was little and another would be homeless if not for the home. As you can imagine it was an emotional affair. Little did they know that early that day the Executive Director had announced to staff that everyone was to be laid off and the boys sent to other facilities.

These are trying financial times and I will save you from my rant about the State’s stance on “Family Reunification.” Short version: Children in the system are not being placed at group homes anymore. The decline of referrals was drastically noticeable while I still worked there, hence why they diversified into accepting clients from the Dept. of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). The hope is for the boys’ home to deal exclusively with DJJ clients in the future. Until then, they are seeking financial outlets to bring back laid off employees, including liquidating assets.

So here is the call for prayer:

Please pray for the 30+ staff members who will be without a job tomorrow. Several of them have been with the organization for 20 years. These people have a heart for the boys and I have had the pleasure of working with most of them. And pray for the administration and board as they make some tough decisions.

Please pray for the boys who will once again have to pack up their few belongings to move elsewhere. They will be scattered—away from each other and the place some of them have called home for years.

Please pray for the fate of this institution that has housed young men for over 40 years. Pray that when it emerges from this trial, it will rise better equipped to serve children so dear to God’s heart and that He would be glorified.

Thank you for letting me share something that’s been heavy on my heart this week.

I am almost at the 10 month mark and will post that update soon!

Last Christmas

As I sit here at home and with my family this Christmas, the one I spent at the boys’ home last year has been on my mind. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to serve those boys. I was so blessed by my encounters and hope that you too receive an opportunity to give of yourself during this new year. The following is the story I wrote last year for the VISTA blog.

Wishing you joy and peace this holiday season! –Nicole

Christmas at Glenn Springs Academy

Christmas at Glenn Springs Academy began back in October as volunteers had already started calling in to make sure our boys had gifts. We collected the boys’ sizes and wish lists to distribute to interested groups.

I knew I would be involved in this for the months leading up to the holidays and made the tough decision while at home for Thanksgiving that I would spend the Christmas holiday away from my family and working at Glenn Springs. My family was extremely supportive as they understood the unique opportunity I had to celebrate with boys who did not have family with whom to celebrate. After months of organizing their gifts, I wanted to see them open them.

The week before, the office staff and I had organized the gifts and made sure that every boy had a sufficient amount. The number of gifts donated astounded me. Volunteers from Spartanburg and surrounding areas made Christmas possible for our boys. Some groups threw the boys a Christmas party, some donated electronics and clothes, while others brought treats or donated trips to movies or the bowling alley.

Christmas Eve arrived and I headed to work. Most of the boys were beginning to settle down and get ready for bed. The Direct Care staff helped me bring the gifts to the two cabins and the dorm where I organized them under the Christmas trees. I don’t know how Santa does it. We didn’t get finished putting out 20 gifts until about 3am.

The next morning, the younger boys (youngest age 11) were ready to open gifts at 6:30am. As soon as I walked into the door with the camera, they scurried out of their rooms to find their gifts. What followed was a flurry of wrapping paper, tissue paper, jumping, and sounds of excitement. Most of the presents opened were clothes, but they also got Legos, basketballs, and electronics. If you would have told me that these boys would have been just as excited about socks and underwear as the aforementioned, I don’t think I would have believed you.  Ten minutes after I had arrived, all gifts had been opened and most of the candy consumed. Legos were starting to be built and PSPs played while we watched A Christmas Story to pass the time until the other cabins awoke. One of the boys was so excited about receiving a Snuggie that he ran around the cabin in it (most was trailing behind him). The boys kept thanking me and telling me how much they enjoyed their gifts.

Just as I was about to head to the dorm, we got a call from the other cabin saying they were ready to open gifts. As I came in the door, several came barreling down the stairs while others groggily made their way toward tree. These boys were slower to open their gifts, but 7:30 was early for them. One of the boys who had been at GSA for Christmas before remarked that in addition to his gifts, he enjoyed all of the activities that had been  planned and donated for the boys while they are out of school. Next, the same groggy state of gift opening occurred at the dorm. However, some of the boys new to GSA were meticulous in opening their gifts, saying that they wanted to savor every moment as they did not think they would get anything (one of these boys arrived on Thursday).

The Direct Care staff members that night expressed the same concern; however I assured them that the new kids would be taken care of. Spending time with staff members with whom I don’t normally interact was one of the serendipitous occasions of the evening. Our staff has such a heart for our boys and even in the difficult times, wants to do what’s best for them.

One of the best times for me was seeing the joy on the boys’ faces as they opened their gifts Christmas morning. Thank you to all who donated to make that possible. I wish everyone could have seen it. The other serendipitous event occurred throughout the morning when the boys realized that I was spending Christmas with them instead of my family. They were concerned about my receiving gifts and they sincerely thanked me for spending the holiday with them. Even boys with whom I do not regularly interact said that it meant a lot to have me there. I definitely did not expect that.

This was one of the most tiring, sleep-deprived, and best Christmases ever. I am so blessed to work with such amazing people and to have such exciting experiences. I know I will never forget how I spent this holiday.  I hope that you find a way help others this holiday season and always.