Day 2 in England: Labels and Scars

Today we briefly spoke at a school called Oswaldtwistle House and then hung out and got to know some of the students. The students in the school are between the ages of 11 and 16. They are the students who have behavioral issues, self-harm, are vulnerable, or have been taken from their parents. It is a temporary school where staff members work to build them up and transition them back into the school they came from or another school. This is the "tough" school that has the kids with "issues". That's the perception at least.

      Unfortunately, if you tell someone something for long enough, they start to believe it. People will often only attempt to achieve what they believe they can. The labels used for these students wound them. Proverbs 12:18 (NIV) says, "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." These inconsiderate words not only affect the students presently, but also have the potential to affect these students' futures. This is because people will pursue the careers they believe they will be successful in. 

      These students have been labeled, but, fortunately for them, they are surrounded by staff who believe in their potential. Our team arrived a bit early so we sat waiting in the staff room. We got to witness a staff meeting and it was just so encouraging. Everyone was lively, offered input, and asked questions. We could tell that they truly cared about the students. Even in the classrooms this is evident. Teachers knew their students personally and laughed with each other. 

      When we got into the classroom, we spoke about scars (physical and emotional) not being signs of victimhood, but instead signs of survival. One student cried and her teacher hugged her. The love and compassion were so powerful. We'll be back in the school later this week and already can't wait because we've seen something beautiful in these students. A few asked what we were doing in Oswaldtwistle and we told them we are here to speak in schools. No one vacations there so it means a lot to the students when we come. We want to add to the message the teachers and staff have worked so hard to send: that these kids matter and are worth it.

      We truly love them. They weren't what others might expect. They were respectful, smart, funny, and had dreams. It was funny to see how excited they were to have a bunch of foreigners want to come visit their schools just to speak to them. Not because we had to, but because we chose to. We chose them when many would reject them. One student I spoke with named Hannah thanked us and said they needed to hear the message about scars. A few of them even mentioned wanting to come to our youth outreach event later in the week.

      I am excited just thinking about how God is going to use the message we shared and the talks we've already had with them to start doing something new in their hearts and minds.

Please pray that God will continue to redefine how these students look at their lives; use the teachers, staff, and others to change how the students view themselves; and use us and the members of Hope Church to show them how special they are and how much God loves them.