Giselle loves playing with hair, makeup and clothes, while younger sis, Melissa. is an artist, bent on discovering new ways to hone her craft. In many ways, they are typical teens, but in other ways circumstances have made their lives much harder.
The sisters, the youngest of five siblings, grew up in a lower-income community near downtown Minneapolis, just 10 blocks from the Lake Street flashpoint of George Floyd Square. The neighborhood is home to Hispanics, African Americans, Somalis and other immigrants. An urban reservation is also nearby.
As cultural Christians, faith wasn't part of the rhythm of the teenagers' daily lives — until they accepted a friend's invitation to Iglesia Central Christiano de Minneapolis (ICCM) where they learned about God's love for them. The message of love became even more tangible when the church gifted both girls with PowerPacks®, colorful backpacks chock-full of much-needed school supplies and gospel literature. The backpacks were provided to the church through their partnership with Cru® Inner City.
In all, 400 PowerPacks were distributed across Minneapolis that year. The school supplies are especially welcome in the poor communities near downtown, where ICCM makes its home. Housing prices in the region are on the rise making it hard to find and snag affordable housing. The daily struggle to just survive makes such gifts especially vital in spreading the gospel.
| "The backpacks will get worn out. The paper inside used up. The pencils sharpened to nubs. But you know what will last? The relationships …" | After receiving the PowerPacks and getting to know some of the church members, the sisters, their mom and older sister, Estefania, reconnected to their faith. Since joining the church, the girls have been mentored by Jeanne Ramirez, the pastor's wife. Jeanne has led them in Bible studies and assisted with other practical needs, including helping Melissa apply to several premier high schools. |
Since their baptism, Jeanne said significant change is evident in the young girls.
"They definitely believe," she said. "They're asking me questions and stuff. They are still in that process of making it their own. Which is what they should be doing at that age.
"I've realized over the years that it is a long game. You know you have setbacks, with different families, including this family, but in the long game it is so gratifying to see people making forward progress ... to see that Jesus makes a difference in people's lives."
Renae Kemp, an Inner City staff member in Minneapolis, said Cru's Compassionate Products™, including the PowerPacks, Easter Bags, Boxes of Love® and Homeless Care Kits, are an important ministry tool that seems to multiply in the hands of partner churches.
"The backpacks will get worn out. The paper inside used up. The pencils sharpened to nubs," she said. "But you know what will last? The relationships that are created as families of believers reach out to their neighbors — relationships like Giselle and Melissa are experiencing — that are safe and where people can talk about life, encourage one another, and pray for each other."
Jeanne credits the Compassionate Products and other Cru programs with helping the family find their spiritual footing.
"That was one of the pieces of things that spoke into their lives and was pulling them towards staying in church and making changes to their life," she said. "All of those little things that we can do to sow into people's life add up until they take notice that ‘hey, these people are different.' I think it's the persistence and the fact that it's not just a one-time thing. That's why I think that the PowerPacks really stand out."
They certainly did to Giselle and Melissa, who were so tickled by their own PowerPacks they now volunteer every year to stuff and deliver them to others, resulting in even more families coming to church. Now involved in the outreaches, they especially love to rattle off the names of friends who are recipients of their own packs.
"This family has come so far. (The girls' mother) is a single mom trying to pull her kids together and helping them take advantage of opportunities that weren't available to her," Jeanne said. "It's super appreciated that we have those resources like the backpacks and the Boxes of Love."
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Lori Arnold serves as senior writer for Cru's inner-city ministry.
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