Once a month, Terry Fielder brings lunch to girls at a small school for teenage mothers. It's time for her to get to know girls like 16-year-old Selina who, for most of her life, didn't really have a place to call home.
Selina's mother is a drug addict and would leave her and her siblings home alone without food many times for several days. A few years ago, her mother took Selina to a baby sitter and never came home. Selina began to bounce from one relative's house to the next.
She also started living a pretty destructive lifestyle. She used drugs and was involved in violent relationships. By the time she was 15, she was pregnant. She wanted an abortion, but couldn't afford it. Selina carelessly continued her destructive habits.
When Selina gave birth to her son Anthony last January it changed her life. She fell in love with her beautiful baby boy and decided she needed to make some changes. So she stopped using and started going to school. She was still living with relatives until she felt they were tired of her and her son. But amidst the difficult circumstances she continued to go to school in hope of a better life for her and her son.
Last summer, Selina attended YoungLives camp, where she accepted Jesus Christ into her heart. When they returned home from camp, Selina was a regular at Campaigners. She also went to church with Fielder. During a time of prayer, the pastor focused especially on Selina.
"God is all over you," he said to her. "His light is on you and you will be used to reach many young girls who are hurting. Because of what you have been through, God is going to use you in a mighty way."
Selina was amazed.
A few weeks later, Fielder spoke at the church to a large group of women. She showed some pictures of teen moms and told some of their stories. Selina was one of them. After Fielder spoke a woman came up to her and said, "Selina is my niece and she has been on my heart for a while. I wondered what had happened to her and just last night I asked the Lord to help me find her, and you show up with a picture of my Sellies."
She then gave me her number to give to Selina so she could call her. And that night there were 17 women who signed up to be involved with YoungLives — Selina's aunt was one of them.
"I'm overcome at times with the love I feel God has for these girls and their babies," Fielder said. "What an awesome life-changing privilege it has been for me to be involved in YoungLives and what God is doing. You can truly see the light of God illuminating Selina's life. I know God delights in these young mothers as they make those baby steps to follow Him."