November 4th was the annual Young Life banquet. It's a pretty exciting time to involve students who are in Young Life to share with the community of people just what is going on....on top of it being a fundraiser to support what Felipe (we) is/are doing in Santa Barbara. That was also the night that my Young Life girls, Denise, told me she was pregnant. I felt devastated thinking I did something wrong. Maybe I wasn't around enough?! Maybe I should have said more!?!? ...But what was done was done. And so begins the story of my first teenage pregnancy.
The following day, Felipe got a call from Angel's PO. Long story short, Angel needed a place to stay for the weekend. While I was at work on Friday, Felipe went to pick him up in Santa Maria. (Angel has been in and out of juvenile hall and the boys camp for over a year now.) The weekend was like most weekends together...we just had an extra person with us all the time. It was eye opening because we had to be conscious of our activities. He played soccer with Felipe and the other Young Life leaders on Saturday morning, out to lunch with us, I made dinner, then out to a coffee shop for some music, followed by a movie downtown. Sunday morning breakfast was followed by "orphan Sunday" at our Church. It brought on good conversation later about who our Father is. I made a roast for lunch and then Angel and I ran on the beach for some exercise and to collect sea glass...Felipe took a nap in the car. (Angel says we walked more than we ran...he was probably right.) I loved watching him run around chasing birds...even throw rocks at them. I liked just watching him be a kid. Throughout the weekend, I found that I was trying to make things feel as homey as possible--cooking breakfast, asking him if he wanted to go somewhere, include him in conversations--anything.
Above is Jenny (another one of my YL girls) and Angel at the Young life club that followed his weekend with us. He currently lives with his Aunt and Uncle on the Eastside. That next week, Felipe and Angel ran around trying to get all his forms filled out so that he can hopefully be accepted in the Grizzly Youth Academy. The school starts in January and is a 5 1/2 month long school that is very similar to a boot camp. I also have another YL girl that will be going to the same school. It's a pretty intense school that teaches discipline, job skills, and gets them on track with their school credits to graduate on time.
Yesterday, I took Denise the Network Medical clinic. They confirmed her Pregnancy and followed it with her first sonogram. I felt privileged to be in the room with her during this important moment. She is 6 weeks into her pregnancy today. She got to see and hold a model in her hand of the size that her baby is currently. I feel like God is good through it all. Since she is only 6 weeks, she should be able to finish her Junior year of high school, have the baby in the summer, and be back in school for her Senior year. The school has great programs for teen moms including a daycare at the school. Denise's due date is on July 15, which happens to be my birthday. So exciting!
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