“WHY SHOULD I TALK TO GOD?” TURNING LIVES AROUND AT THE JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER IN DETROIT

As a member of WFWP, I have been visiting the Juvenile Detention Center to encourage the girls there to take their lives more seriously. The purpose of the visit on March 27 was to follow up on the girls' situations after I had given them copies of my inspirational book, The Voice in You & Me: How Listening to Your Heart Can Take You Beyond All Drama. Also, I wanted to give them food for thought based on the question "Why should I talk to God?"

I met two groups of five girls each. When I met with the first group, I saw that two of the girls were holding my book in their hands. They told me that they like to read it in the evening and they had noticed that they sleep better after reading it. They also showed me which of the poems they particularly like.

Even though it was their "hair day," and it was challenging to have their full attention, they were open and grateful for my visit. They told me that they believe that God created us and that He loves us. I pointed out that everybody is looking for love, and that talking to God is connecting us to that true, unconditional love that we receive in return. I told them that another reason to develop a personal relationship to God is that we need protection from evil. I explained that evil is a destructive force that knows neither compassion nor compromise.

I promised the girls that on my next visit I would bring the reflections of a young man who was in and out of the Juvenile Detention Facility and spent eight months in prison. He is currently working at the DTW Airport giving wheel chair assistance. Before that, he served customers with a friendly smile at Panera, where I had gotten to know him and his girlfriend some years before.

Through his successful testimony, I want to encourage the girls and at the same time give them a realistic vision and advice on how to turn their lives around.