Forty -Plus Daughters: By Beverly Weeks

I’m a mom with forty-plus daughters!  Although they are not my flesh and blood, I do consider them my adopted family.

Every week Cry Freedom Missions does outreach in our local jail.

We sometimes have 30-40 women who are incarcerated and have been attending class inside the Wayne County Jail. They are learning life skills, job skills, coping skills, parenting, math, learning about forgiveness, the consequences of poor choices and we have even started our own choir! Y’all should hear us sing! We giggle, cry together, talk about our kids, and their struggles with addiction, and then just getting real we often cry some more.

At the end of the day, I remind them that they are beautiful, and no matter what they have ever done, or where they have ever been in God’s eyes they still have the same value. Their lives still have a purpose.

The hugs, gentle whispers, and kisses on the cheek warm my momma's heart. You see these are somebody’s daughters, nieces, granddaughters, moms, wives, sisters. Truth is we are all just one poor decision away from changing the rest of our lives Day in and day out, I see so many faces.

There have been so many stories, so many secrets shared, times of grief, and even moments of celebration. Each inmate is beautiful in her own way and struggling to recognize her God-given potential. I’ll never understand why God allowed me to be a part of something so impactful and life-changing, but I’m glad He chose me!

 As long as you are breathing, there is always HOPE.