every culture

I am currently staying at AG home. http://www.aghome.org.sg/ This is an amazing place started by a pastor 20 years ago when he started letting troubled girls into his home. Now this is an institution that up to 60 girls can live at. For some, this is the last stop before jail. This has become a place for those mandated by the court system as well as a safe haven from those who suffer from abuse or are orphaned. The girls live together, play together, and work together. Many go to school outside the home and are also taught vocational skills here at AG home. Currently I hear a drum lesson or practice session going on- a very talented group of musicians, artists and athletes reside here if they are given a chance to shine.
But there is also a lot of pain. Many of these girls have lived rough lives that I cannot even imagine- some by their own making and some through no fault of their own. I have had to face this fact as I accidently saw scars from cutting, a practice of self harm, discussed what it was like to be an orphan, and discussed with a young woman who is already incredibly slender her weightloss goals of losing 15 pounds (completely not needed but she cannot see past her own version of her own self image). This is coupled with a spirit of childhood joy- I have seen teenage girls relish in games that an American teenager would NEVER participate in and have them enjoy doing it. Below is a picture of the girls taking on a game of laser tag that lasted 2 hours. I have been embraced fully here in only 2 days when it took me months to earn the respect from the American teenagers I have worked with.
There is a song, I am not even sure who wrote it that asks God to break our hearts for what breaks His heart. I think this is one of those things. Please pray for troubled youth everywhere. Those that do not know that they are beautiful the way God made them, those who turn to self harm or drugs to separate themselves from their pain, those who have been abused, those who run away for whatever reason, and the orphans of this world. Pray not only for the girls of AG home but for those in your neighborhood…the more I travel and learn and experience the more I know that you may have one in your own school, neighborhood, church, or home. I am amazed at the similarities in all cultures. I have seen these faces and issues many times before and I fear this is far from my last chance as well.