Sweet 15

Last night we had a Quinceanera for Yaressi, one of the girls who lives at the Manitial de Amor Girl's Home.

A Quinceanera marks the transition from childhood to young womanhood for a girl who is turning 15. There is a ceremony, symbolic gifts, dinner, cake, special dances, and a beautiful girl dressed up like a princess who gets to experience an outpouring of love and support from friends and family.

That's a Quinceanera.

Now imagine that you are a young girl, who was dropped off at a children's home. You grow up dreaming of your Quinceanera, but you also know that there is no one to throw you one. No one to buy you gifts, no money for a beautiful dress, no family to sit with you at the head table.

The thought of this is enough to bring tears to my eyes. I know that if I had grown up here, I would have spent years dreaming about my Quinceanera. My mom and I would have planned for months and found the perfect dress and invited all of our friends and family. It would have been the most special night of my life thus far... Unless I was orphaned. Then it would have been a night that passed without a celebration, a night that added further pain to a fragile and broken heart...

But it doesn't have to be that way, and it no longer is! Our staff puts on a Quinceanera for every girl at every children's home that we serve! At some point during the fiesta last night, I was struck with the thought of, "This is why we are here." To care for these girls. To make them feel like princesses as we celebrate their entrance into womanhood. To help them feel loved and cherished. To help them have the Quinceaneras of their dreams. To gather around them and be the family that they may not have. To show them that God has not forgotten about them and he cares about their dreams.

Our staff women did such an excellent job putting together (Great work Cathy, Rosa and Pris!). Cathy sent out a thank you email to everyone who helped bring all the details together. At one point she wrote:

"You really made a special night for Yaressi. She was beaming. Don't you love when you see someone feel special, the way God wants us to feel all the time."

Last night Yaressi felt like a princess, but this is how God sees her everyday! I praise the Lord for the way that he is using this ministry to help these girls realize how loved they truly are... by us, and more importantly, by God!

Joyfully,

Jessica

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