parents weekend.

Emotions run high.
Girls are anxious, excited, nervous, terrified, nauseous - the whole gamut - at the thought of their parents coming to visit them.

It means loud arguments, family counseling, classes for the parents, and high stress for everyone.  It gives families the opportunity to work things out together, resulting sometimes in joy, laughter, and sighs of relief, sometimes in anguish, tears, and resentment.  Sometimes both.

It's a beautiful picture of brokenness.  Tears so strong the body shakes.  Remorse so deep that the soul is in anguish.  This is the picture that I became a part of last night with one girl in particular.  Seeing her brokenness as some kind of inconceivably awful, unforgiveable state - we prayed.  Beauty rises from the ashes.  Restoration comes from the dust.  This girl experienced the grace of God last night.

And today I got to go out to breakfast with her parents - phenomenal people.  I feel as if I got some pretty incredible insight into her personality, her struggles, her background.  I love it, and I'm excited to see her grow and change through this program, to know that her parents support her 100%.  It's a picture of family reconciliation that I long to see in this particular family, but also with all of the girls and their families.

God is so good.