What This Year Holds

Today I spent the day in a planning meeting for Beauty for Ashes - for both the ministry at the half-way house and the ministry in the prison. We spoke about the plan and goals for the year. I am very excited that I got to be a part of this and see all of the facets of what this organization does, even though I won't be a part of every detail.

On Mondays, I will be involved with Think Twice and will be in an eight-week training course to learn how to teach about HIV in schools. I will take what I learn here and reform it so that I can present it to Sunshade (which includes women from Beauty for Ashes and the community) around July and we also hope to present this in the prison by the end of the year.

I will normally be going into the prisons on Fridays for the purpose of counseling women there. I will begin this next Friday, February 8th, and will first be shadowing Stephanie, who runs Beauty for Ashes, before doing any of this myself.

There are several other courses that I can take throughout the year - I hope to take all of them, but will see where God opens doors and what the availability of the courses are. The courses are (1) HIV counseling, (2) Educational Training Services and (3) Restorative Justice counseling (which each woman in prison has to do prior to their release).

There is a 22-year girl who will be moving into Beauty for Ashes soon. She will be there during the days from mid-March to mid-April (on day-parole) and then will be there around the clock after mid-April. They are planning to have me as her mentor, as they want someone younger. I am the only "younger" one that is a part of this now. She has been in prison since she was 13.

I want to cry when I think about what I'll be involved in here - I am so excited and humbled... I really can't think of the words to describe it.

I love you all and appreciate you more than you know.

Tomorrow the FYPs have a welcome tea at 10 A.M. and I will be helpng with the youth tomorrow night. I have a birthday party for a friend on Saturday, which should be fun as we'll be hanging out by the pool. :) On Sunday I have church and was invited to Beauty for Ashes for lunch - I hope to go to this, but need to figure out transportation home afterwards. Monday's my birthday and we're having a party here at the house in the evening... woo hoo!!!