A True Christmas Blessing

We attend Hope Church and for several years now we have had the opportunity to go into the Paulding Youth Detention Center and serve the kids (they range between 11 & 17) and the workers a traditional Christmas meal. Yesterday was particularly special for us. Through the very generous folks within the church community, we were able to leave them with some nice presents and Dominoes Pizza to be delivered last night as well.

When we were leaving, I was touched in a way that words can hardly describe. The girl was probably 15 and she came up to me and asked me if she could hug me...I said SURE! As we embraced, she begin to cry. I was doing all I could to hold back my own emotion and I could feel her holding me tighter and sobbing even more. Finally, she said, you have no idea how much this meant to me...I said yes, I think I do and it has meant a lot to me too. She again said, no, you really do not know what this means to me. I again said, well I think I do...she said "no, you see I have have had more love given to me in the last two hours with you all than I have had in a lifetime". It was at that moment that I could no longer hold back my own emotion...that girls face and those words will stay with me a lifetime.

I got to be honest, I probably have not been the most compassionate person when it comes to kids making poor choices. However, the last few years have changed a lot of those hard hearted feelings. A few months ago, I was talking to one of the senior staff members there and they said "some of these kids get more love, respect, care and concern here than they do anywhere else in their lives". That really made me think and then the events of yesterday was just one POWERFUL way that God used to reveal to me that we are to reach out to everyone and share the love of Christ! What a blessing yesterday was for all of us...it will always be with me!

Paulding.com: A True Christmas Blessing - Paulding.com