Deas August Prayer Letter

Dear Faithful Supporters and Friends,

In December I wrote to you about the group of three 8th grade girls that God put in my life this year. They were my d-group and we met together twice a week throughout the year. It was honestly a tough year for all of us, but we made it through and I trust that God will continue to work in their lives in ways I cannot yet see.

This was my first year as a d-group leader and these girls had four other leaders throughout the previous two years. Breaking through their walls and building trust was not an easy task. Whenever I expressed frustration to the middle school teachers, they assured me that it was not just me and that this was a hard group with whom to be. There were interesting relationship dynamics between the girls and I had a hard time deciding if they were joking or being genuinely mean to each other. I began to understand why the principal told me a few years ago that I was not ready to lead a group. Working with middle school students can require a thick skin in addition to a lot of unconditional love.

Since the girls were 8th graders, this was their last year at Los Angeles Christian School. As graduation approached I knew I would need to share something about each girl at the graduation banquet. Since they did not let me get close, it was hard, so I needed God’s help and wisdom. I had been praying for them throughout the year, but I asked God to show me something that I could share to encourage them. God is faithful and He gave me His eyes to see things I had a hard time seeing on my own. I was able to see small areas of growth and changes in the way they treated each other. I was encouraged when they shared about experiences with Kaleo, another part of our ministry that works with teens. I also was more aware of little things like smiles and times of openness and honesty (however quick they might have been). In the end I was able to share a few words of encouragement at the banquet and then shared words from my heart in cards to them.

Please pray for Celeste, Miriam, and Joy, as they each move on to a different public high school. Pray that they will not only stay faithful to God, but deepen their relationships with Him. Pray they will remember how much they are cared for by me, and everyone at LACS. I am hoping to start over with a new group of girls in the new school year. Please pray for God to prepare both me and the girls for this new relationship.

In His Love and Service,

Julie Deas