Prison Prayers

Today at work I had the opportunity to play lead counselor in the unit because the other staff with me - although definitely more trained than I- usually works in a different part of the facility doing entirely different tasks. Thus today I got to call the shots and decide when to put the girls in their rooms and how picky to be with the rules. (Don't worry. I won't let this power go to my head.) As is typical for a Saturday at the juvenile detention center, we had breakfast, deep-cleaned the rooms, had lunch, went to gym, and rotated through showers while the Bible Study volunteer talked with three girls.

Just in case the reader is unaware, I am a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as LDS or Mormon. The Bible Study volunteers are from the Center Point church. I like it when the Bible Study volunteers come. It gives me an opportunity to see how other religions worship the same God. Many youth at the detention center have yet to learn that joy of learning of other beliefs and make hasty assumptions about whether they will or won't participate in Bible Study. Like today.


Me: Who wants to go to Bible Study?

Loud Girl: I don't know. I'm LDS.

Quiet Girl: Yes! I do.

Majority of other girls: Not me. I'd rather read.

Bible Study started with a warm welcome from the volunteer woman. She strikes me as the type of person who goes skiing regularly and works as a receptionist in a fancy doctor's office or at a day spa. Her brown hair goes no longer than just below her chin. She was wearing dangling, flashy earrings. She started introducing herself and asking for the girls' names sitting with her. Today's focus was on liking and loving, the difference, and that God has both likes us and loves us.I noticed the runt girl of today's litter. After watching her shoot hoops today for gym I'm convinced she has a phobia of balls. Her little blond head kept turning from side to side like she wanted to say something but was too scared to open her mouth. She was standing just outside the circle of couches which were arranged for Bible Study. I asked, "do you want to join them?"

Runt Girl: I'm not Mormon. (It's like these kids think that the only church in Utah Vally is a Mormon church.)

Me: That doesn't matter. You can join them anyway. It's not a Mormon meeting.

Having received the go-ahead, Runt Girl promptly stepped into the couch circle, picked up a NIV Bible, and sat next to Quiet Girl.

The volunteer had Runt Girl introduce herself and then asked the question, "What is the difference between liking someone and loving someone?"

I didn't hear the answers, but the question caused me to ponder and make a quick mental list of those I love and those I like and those I love because I don't like...you know, that whole Christlike love versus that YourmybestfriendandIknoweverythingaboutyou love. After making that mental list in my head I tuned back into the Bible group and I'm glad that I did because of what I witnessed.

Bible Study Volunteer: God loves us and he likes us. He likes me on my good days and on my bad days.

Loud Girl: God loves everyone.

The runt of this week's group was sitting in the small circle of Bible Study with her back to me. I keyed into the fact that she was crying based on the reactions of those around her. The Quiet girl obviously became uneasy and made an effort to avoid contact with the crying eyes.

Volunteer: I know. Sometimes thinking about how much God loves me makes me cry, too.

Runt: My babysitter died and I can't get it off my mind. *sniff* Sometimes I just think about it.

Loud Girl: It's okay. God usually gives us trials so we can learn from them.

Quiet Girl: Yeah. It usually makes us better people.

And here's the part that blew me away:

Loud Girl: If you want, in the mornings... or right before bed... I can pray with you.

Runt Girl: Okay *sniff sniff*

Volunteer: We can pray right now...[waits for everyone to assume the reverent prayer position] God, you love us so much. We are the apple of your eye. You like us even in our mistakes and our wrong-doings. We are so grateful and mindful of that love and hope that we can always remember of your love. And this we pray. Amen.

The real point of this story is not the prayer that was offered, though I was taken aback at how it sounded: a bit like a sermon in and of itself, yet incredibly raw and honest. Often I feel like prayers in the Mormon bubble are crafted to sound intelligent and wordy, while this prayer was colloquial. (When was the last time you thought, "I am the apple of God's eye" or uttered it in a prayer?) But I digress. The real point is the sheer Christlike love shared between Loud Girl and Runt Girl, two girls under the age of 15 who are in a juvenile delinquent center most likely because of assault or drug use.