These are my girls. . . .

Ok - so there are these girls in North Philadelphia that have captured my heart. I love love love them. Tonight we gave the girls these journals that we are going to use as we get deeper into the story of the Gospel and into the truth that is the Scriptures and what they REALLY say about how to live this life. . . .

So in these journals, each of the volunteers took time to write down some things, gifts, great traits that we saw in each of them. Of course, it was one of the easiest things ever since I see so much brightness and future in these girls. I just wanted to let you faithful readers of this blog an overview of these girls that I love.

Aliyma
This girl packs so much personality in her 15 year old self. Despite the crazy things she has been through, she is RARELY without a smile on her face. She is faithful to the group and the moment I see her, I immediately want to run and hug her.

Cashee
My roomie!!! Cashee has been through the depths of things that I will never understand. She is a fighter, a survivor, and still set on knowing her God more. She is constantly asking to hear more about the Bible, about the Lord and it strengthens my own faith to watch her grow.

ChiChi
Smiley, smiley ChiChi! Zamati (her real name) always comes to any event with a smile on her face and it is soooo contagious! She is one tough cookie and so determined to do her best at everything. She plays softball, which I love- we play catch sometimes and I am so pumped to go to a game soon!

Donyae
Sneaky. That's what I think of Donyae. She sits quietly, listens and observes. When she finally speaks her mind, everyone listens. Definitely a strong leader! Goodness, I love this girl. The volunteers often take note that if we can get Donyae excited about something, the rest of the girls will be easy. She has this effect on the group.

Kaleeia
Kaleeia girl moved far north into almost the Northeast, but we still pick this girl up for special events and things. She is so funny and such a great time. The boys seem to be always buzzing when Kaleeia is around, but she lets them know that she is not playing around with the mess that they bring. She brings a HUGE smile to my face.

Leonie
Leonie has only been in our group a couple of weeks, but no one would be able to notice this if they were visiting. She has slipped right in there with her smile and honest talk about issues. She shocks us and keeps us on our toes. She is so raw and so open and loves coming. I see so much potential for the Lord to use her in AMAZING ways. So excited!

Martesha
Tesh, tesh, tesh. This girl is CRAZY! She is super busy with teaching acting classes at Freedom Theatre, but it is awesome whenever we see her. I have been to a couple of shows and this girl is tal-en-ted!!! She is bubbly and joyful and so awesome to get to know!

Myeisha
This one. This Myeisha girl has captured my heart. Big time. She has this hard, hard shell, but once you bust through it there is a funny, smart girl inside that just wants to be loved. She loves our one on one times where she gets my undivided attention, and for now- I am more then happy to give that to her. She is going to SOAR without a doubt. Amazing girl.

Myhonia
Hahaha I just laugh when I think about Myhonia. She is so sassy but such a stinkin' leader. When we had game night, she took over. The girls listen to her and the boys, well they just need to stay AWAY! haha. I really love this girl. She is Myeisha's big sister and when I see how much they love each other, it just melts my heart.

Nashae
Another newbie- but what a SWEETHEART!!! I get a little bit excited when I see her face each week. She is new, but already so faithful. She shows up early just to spend time there and I love how quiet and sweet she is. Each week, she just walks right up to me and gives me a hug, before we even say anything. This girl is slowly grabbing my heart.

Paige
This is one crazy, fearless girl! When I go to see her play soccer, I laugh when I see her run right up to even the professional players that come and she does not back down. She is also simply gorgeous. She plays tough and then walks away from it with this chill little smirk on her face. No one is quite like Paige. She is just amazing!

Rickyah
Rickyah is one of the original mission kids. Back in the beginning when there were only a dozen or so kids coming, Rickyah was there. I have already seen her go through the stage of wearing barrettes in her hair, to being way too old for that. She has this raspy voice, which is just so cute and classically Rickyah. She is becoming such a lady - love it!

Samira
This quiet little one captures your heart quickly. She is so strong and so funny. Once you get her to talk to you without the worries of the others listening, she is just so sweet and such a riot. I just giggle when I think about her. Such a great girl!

Tyshanna
Ohhhh this one. She moved to Delaware earlier this school year and it just broke my heart. . . but then my little gem came back. She is beyond smart, should be in gifted classes - if she went to a school that had them. So bright, sensitive, sweet and loyal. There has been a major transformation in her over the past two years. Gosh. This girl just brings joy to my life.