October 2023- Quinceañera, A restoration story

Quinceañera: beyond a party, a profound gospel opportunity for restoration

In Latino culture, a young lady’s fifteenth birthday is a monumental milestone. It signifies a transition into a new stage of life, celebrated with an elegant and grand party. The family proudly introduces the young woman to extended family and friends, a symbol of her emergence into society as a young lady, leaving her childhood behind.

In the Amparo family, we’ve welcomed girls who weren’t even certain of their own age. They had never experienced the joy of a birthday celebration or received a birthday gift. For them, any form of celebration was seen as perilous, associated with excesses leading to unimaginable horrors, based on their previous experiences.

Yet, these challenges present us with profound gospel opportunities for restoration. It’s a chance for these girls to be embraced and celebrated, to rewrite the definition of celebration alongside Jesus. It’s an opportunity for them to experience the Amparo family and the Church coming together to love them.

Planning these quinceañeras is a significant effort, demanding extra care, hard work and expenses. The girls must summon the courage to dress up, confronting their fears about what a celebration could mean. But let me tell you, it’s undoubtedly worth it.

On October 4th, *Sunny (given name for this update) turned fifteen, and on October 14th, we celebrated her quinceañera. She described it as one of the best days of her life. For Sunny, who chooses her words carefully, this statement speaks volumes.

Matilde and I picked up Sunny from a Childhood Services Office to come to our home in August last year. She arrived as a very shy, fearful, and disoriented girl, which was completely understandable, considering the trauma and hardships she had experienced in her short life. Over the past year, we have witnessed her growth, not just in age and height, but also in character, wisdom, knowledge, and spirituality. Today, she has become a profoundly positive influence in our home. She is highly responsible, respectful, and has developed an admirable sense of gratitude, which is quite remarkable given what she has been through. As Sunny would say: “Gracias al Señor” (Thanks to the Lord in Spanish).

There is time for everything under the sun. As Amparo we are working to give the girls we serve a framework of time and space to live their childhood and teenage years like that, as kids and teenagers, including times for fun and celebration.