Not all stories have a very happy ending and sometimes I just sit back and question why things happen the way they do. I have these huge arguments as if I could question God and could actually make things happen better than He could. But, I know that His plan is better for all involved whether it looks like it now or not.
Isabelita is one of the women in the jail and she has been there for quite some time. She is actually the oldest female prisoner, but because of her condition, has been more like a kid sister to most of the other women. Isabelita has a mental handicap that makes her unstable and somewhat violent at times. She has been placed in jail because she’s somewhat unpredictable and after she was left on the streets, she had no one to be beside her. Eventually she ended up in the jail, and has just been detained there until someone would come to take care of her or until the government came up with a better idea. Well, after several years, no one has come forward to even visit Isabelita, much less claim her as family. Therefore, the government has been forced to make a decision and she will be transferred to a mental facility that will lock her up until her time is up.
Unfortunately, because of her condition, Isabelita has no idea this decision has been made for her. The authorities will just show up sometime this week and escort her to her new home. The other women in the cell have been informed of the decision so they won’t be surprised with the action. After-all, they have been the ones taking care of her for all these years. Whenever they have visitors, they share their gifts and even allow her to talk to their families. These other women in the cell have definitely come around Isabelita to help her make it through all these years despite her condition.
Yesterday, I was talking with the other women and they expressed their desire to figure out a way to keep helping her, but they didn’t know how. They wanted to send her away with gifts (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, coffee, hot chocolate, etc.) but didn’t know how they could do this. They want her to know that someone loves her and cares for her because she might not ever hear it again. It’s been so cool to watch the transformation in these women because while they have been taking care of Isabelita for years, they don’t want to just stop at her needs. The last thing the women told me was they wanted Isabelita to know they cared for her by giving her gifts, but more importantly, they want her to know the love of God. Even if she never hears it again for anyone else, God is always telling her. What a transformation.
It’s hard for me to hear stories like this because I feel completely powerless. I can’t do anything other than buy her a few groceries. I just have to learn how to trust that God knows better than I do. Sometimes, all I’m asked to do is trust and pray. Some things are outside of my power so God can show His…
