Second Month Reflections

This post is a little bit over due but that’s ok :) Time really does fly by. As slowly as the days seem to go sometimes, I truly can’t believe I have already been here two months! I am so thankful for the way the Lord has remained faithful to me (duh!) and how he has allowed me to feel much for comfortable in my work and just grow in love for the residents and my co-workers.

Below are just a few pictures to represent the past month here at the Dale House!

Graffiti Falls…the kids love it! It is a small waterfall right next to a bridge. You hike about 5 minutes past the road and can spray paint and climb and play in the water! I am not sure if it is legal, but it is really cool!

A group shot after one of our softball games. The Dale House participates in sports leagues in Colorado Springs. We just finished softball! Next is football! Our team name is “The Regulators!”

Every Wednesday and Sunday night, we have things called Family Nights. Family and friends are invited to the Dale House to eat dinner and participate in the evening activity. Wednesday night activities are different every week, where as Sunday night we meet together after dinner for singing and a talk from George (the director, pictured below!) about Jesus. I could listen to that man talk all the time. He is so wise, loving, and an amazing example of Jesus! These pictures are from one family night where we had stations of yard games like cornhole!! We ended with a Limbo competition where my primary, who is about 6’2’’ won!

One of the residents emancipated this month! YAY! This means that she successfully completed the Dale House program (had a job, had enough money in the bank, finished schooling, etc.) When a resident emancipates, we have a party for them with gifts and their meal of choice. It is a really special time where all the residents and staff share memories and celebrate the resident that is emancipating! The resident receives gifts that will be helpful to them as they move onto living by themselves. Most of these kids have very little, so even plates and a microwave are awesome gifts. The most recent resident to emancipate had never had a new pair of shoes. Stephanie, her primary (pictured to the left) gave her her very own brand new pair of shoes. It was a cool experience to witness!

So…the residents like big pants! We often have to remind them to pull up their pants, which makes me hate big pants normally! However, I have a new love for them because they can provide entertainment :) Both legs in ONE pant leg :) Amazing. Oh…and they tried to skateboard like this! Hilarious!

Pictured to the right is just one photo from my photo shoot with Julie and Adrian! Check out the blog post about it!

I wish that each of you could come for a visit to be able to truly understand the DHP and the work of the Lord here. It is just really hard to explain in words but the presence of the Lord is so strong and undeniable. I am daily challenged by the kids and listening to their stories. It just amazes me the injustice faced by these kids before some of them are able to talk. Parents who don’t love them, fathers who abuse them, mothers who continuously drive across country with 3 kids selling drugs, seeing their parents get killed, joining a gang by the age of 10 and getting beat up by 8 people in order to be initiated, etc. etc. etc. It is so unfair.

I am reminded of the Lord’s love though when I see a kid singing at Family Night (an activity we have every Sunday night where we sing and George, the director, talks about Jesus), when I see a kid being proud of the pizza he has decorated and cooked for dinner, when the Dale House Regulators win their league football game, when I get to sit with my primary and listen as he pours out his heart. He has never had a job, someone to listen to him, family dinners, a reason to be proud of himself and he is broken. I feel so blessed that the Lord is allowing me to be a part of this! How cool!