Trip Day!

Hey Blog World,

I hope everyone is bundled up and enjoying winter as Christmas draws near! So today was a trip day for my Magdalenas (high school girls youth group). There were 50 girls today and some of the girls in the group were unable to make it because of family commitments or being sick or studying in the university. We went to the beautiful cathedral in San Juan which is about an hour away and took a tour of the church with a worker names Javier who knows Fr. O'Hare. After the tour we had a religious sister with a Fransican order in the capital come to speak. She is wonderful and spoke to the girls about prayer and the different forms and the importance of it. I loved how she so simply helped the girls realize that God already knows what it on their hearts...we just have to talk about it with him....figure things out...dive deeper! After lunch we took photos and brought out picnic lunch out to the park outside of the cathedral. Nuri, the cook at The Center, prepared us a big cooler of juice, lollipops, and billions of sandwiches! After lunch we headed over to the local university so that the girls could see it. We encouraged them to really look into it because the school is really pretty and they can commute twice a week from Banica (an hour + away). Sadly, a lot of these girls just do not have the money to be able to go. The school itself is public and therefore free...but you still have to pay for your transportation and books and it is just no feasible unless they get a scholarship. The church provides several scholarships and we are always looking for more donors. Check out www.banicamission.com for more information if you would like to help out! I know that once I have a full time job, this is going to be one of the first things I donate to, helping one of these girls go to college. Once we finished up we boarded the bus and headed back in time to teach CCD classes in Banica. We've got 50 girls this year and many wonderful little helpers - wowzers!

But the importance of college here is HUGE! Sadly, getting "married" when you are 15 to a man who is twice you are is very normal. It is one of the things that we are trying to STOP with groups like Magdalena's. We try and build up their self confidence and faith so that they realize their potential. It's my dream that they all are able to study in the university one day! However, some girls do end up getting married, and I was sad to miss three Magdalena's on the trip. Three girls, two 14 and one 15, were "married" (aka moved in with an older man) two weeks ago and did not go. Many say that it is rebellion to their abusive fathers and other say it is love...either way it breaks my heart...they are still girls. Value your education yall ;) it's worth a whole lot.