Love Languages

What is your love language?

I am sure that for many of you learning that my top love language is physical touch. My second is words of affirmation, so those of you who live so very far away and cannot give me a hug an email or facebook post would be a great way to show me that you are thinking of me. 

But really this blog post is not about how I can be loved. On Tuesday we talked with the women in the shelter about their love languages. We asked them to write down what kinds of things their parents or loved ones do or say to show them that they love them. After they shared those things we asked them what they wished each of those people would do to show them that they are loved. 

Then we took the love languages test. For those of you who don't know what the categories are they are: Physical touch, Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Gifts, and Acts of Service. We talked about how even though we can be given love by others even in our own special love language and sometimes still feel UNLOVED.  We talked about the main reason for this is because we believe something about ourselves that is not true.

This led to an activity where we wrote down things or beliefs that were true and some that were untrue. After this we discussed that we have the choice to believe the lies or believe the truth. Then we gave each girl the option to crumple up her lie and throw it away. After receiving the pile of scrunched up lies we offered them back to each of them. Specifically saying-do you want it back?

Thankfully none did. :)

In the process of discussing love and our lies some shocking and heartbreaking things were revealed. I would ask that you would please keep these two beautiful women in your thoughts. 

One of them stated during our very first activity that no one has ever shown her real love. The other said the her lie was that she was ugly. Could you please petition on their behalf that first of all that the one who has never felt loved would be overwhelmed with love from her sisters as well as from her Heavenly Father and second that the lies of the enemy would flee from them both and that they would see themselves as beautiful daughters of the King? Thank you so very much.

Shine Update

Hi, I wanted to send out a quick update about Shine. So, we have started the second program of Shine here and have already had three sessions. The women we are doing this program with this time is the single women in the shelter. There are about 8 women and their children all living in our single mother shelter and even though they only have attended three sessions the impact has already been significant. 

Session One: You are Valuable.

We teach on value. Each one of us has intrinsic value. We talk about how 100 kuai is still worth 100 kuai if it is scrunched up and stomped on and thrown away.  We make the illustration that a valuable gift in a nice gift box is worth the same as the same gift in a paper bag.  What we look like or how we have been treated does not change our worth.  Then we talk about how valuable our hands are and that usually we take care of things we value. Then we proceed to give one another manicures. 

Session Two: You are One of a Kind.

We continue to teach on value.  Because there is no one like you, you are priceless. We use the illustration that the Mona Lisa was created by a master painter and that the original is so precious that there is not a price set on her. But that a copy is not worth the same amount.  Because we cannot be copied we also do not need to compare ourselves to others. We talk about how our face is the first thing people see about us and reflects our individuality. Just like we took care of our hands to show we value them so we should do the same for our face. Then we proceed to cleanse, honey mask, tone, and moisturize our faces.

Session Three: You have been Marvelously Made.

This is our last session focused on value. We do an activity where all the girls are blind folded and try to put body parts onto an outline of a woman. This shows them the importance of correctly put together person. How important each piece in its place is. Then we talk about healthy living. Exercise and Healthy eating. 

Now, most of this information is very simple and likely you and I don't need to be taught these things. But for these women it has changed them.  

*Thursday we had them rate on a scale of one to ten how valuable they felt today.  Then how they valued they felt last week.  The difference was quite drastic.  When asked why they valued themselves more today than last week the responses were: "after learning about how to wash my face and care for my skin I know I can value myself."  "before Shine, I didn't know that my value was important."  "I didn't want to be a part of Shine, but now my life is different."

Thank you for your thoughts for these women as well as for me, especially as I prepare for each session.  Your thoughts are fruitful and lives are changing.