Inside Their Stories
Meeting Macy
Public Service Announcement: Working on a Saturday may lead to sunburns and sandy hair. Little did I know God had Macy in mind.
*Names Changed for Privacy Purposes
I was pretty tired from a long week and knew that the building time my co-leader and I planned had potential to exhaust me even more. However, I packed my bag and knew the time would fly by once arriving at the beach day. As we waited for the girls to show up we chatted about who we knew would attend. It was mentioned that one girl was bringing a friend.
When a car full of girls arrived I asked the unfamiliar faces their names. And like a good leader I promptly forgot them five seconds after being introduced. Five Stars.
As the day progressed I was able to get everyone straight. Sasha - blondie who rides horses. Katie - Red hair, boy crazy. Josie - Spirited and not afraid of swimming out way too far when the red flag is up. Goodie.
Then there was Macy. She was sweet. A bit quiet. Lets get to the bottom of her.
As some of the girls swam and my co-leader chatted with others I took the opportunity to start talking to Macy. I asked her questions about her family, friends, school, hobbies. Turns out she does online school and is isolated much of the time. As she began to open up I was able to bring God up naturally. She had been brought to church a few times but did not have many good things to say about her experience. Apparently the pastor “yelled a lot” and it was “scary".
Than she began to share more intimate things: her family dynamic and why she believes God is inactive in her life. It was heart breaking.
We continued on with the day as a group. Got ice cream, raced against each other, giggled a lot. Then as the girls were getting picked up I was able to get Macy’s number and invite her to summer camp.
We have been texting here and there. If you asked me where I thought this would lead I could not give you the faintest idea. But I do have this feeling… something is happening. Maybe it was the way she looked at me when I shared who God was to me. Inquisitively. Maybe it was how she shared her desire for another girl’s mom. The Spirit is telling me I met Macy for a reason.
Be praying for her… and for my sunburn to heal.