| A note from Lesia Cartelli, Founder and Director | |
I open my heart for your prayers for the upcoming week!  | Dear Friend,
It's nearly time. Are
you there? Will you be with us? I pray so.
As we are on the doorstep of one of the biggest Angel Faces
retreats, I sink into gratitude for the
people around me who stood up when "called" upon, who listened when they were "spoken to" - and
I don't mean by me. These are the women who volunteer their time
to be my "core" team in making the retreat solid. Strong. It's not for everyone I tell them. You see, this "High Tribe" of women just don't
volunteer for a few hours for an event - or support a fund-raiser - all
important duty I acknowledge; they
entrench themselves for the entire week into the girls hearts, to cradle their
wounds, ease their fears and instill a sense of trust in the world again. A
tall order. We are all often "called"
in our life, not many stand, nor do they hear the "call" to passion, the duty
to help another, someone they have never met before. My "High Tribe" stands strong. Many of these women have been with me from
the start of the organization seven years ago. A few are new; they too are scared, but willing.
So when I say we are having the "biggest" retreat, how big
is big? It's not about size, yet we are
at full capacity in the amount of girls. I'm speaking more to the severity of injuries and the trauma that
delivered those injuries.
I have never seen applications like what we have received
for this retreat, and have chosen. More than 80% of all the girls coming to this retreat are new to us and have
burn injuries over 75% of their precious bodies; of those over 20% have burns over
90%. The other component is the trauma
involved. Many have lost a parent or
sibling in the accident; a few of the girls were severely burned trying to
"save my daddy"; one girl, age 11, got out of the house uninjured - then dashed
back into her engulfed home when she heard the screams of her parent and
siblings. They perished in the fire,
she is burned 85%. "What do I say to
someone when they ask if I have brothers", she asked in her application.
Several girls were involved in serious car accidents where
they were trapped, family members killed on scene. One lost her father and her twin as she sat next to her in the back seat. She is now deaf in one ear and has facial
paralysis. Yes, my volunteers --so willing, so qualified to
be present to cradle these girls and their pain while we do our best to pull
them forward in their healing.
In looking at the severity of the injuries and loss, we
hired a second psychologist and added a day to the retreat.
Today, I
gently remind my "High Tribe" to spend this time before we arrive at the
retreat site on Saturday - to nurture themselves, surround themselves with
beautiful things, caring people, loving animals, beach walks, meditation,
prayer, hugs from their loved ones...whatever sooths them. I urge each one of them to get plenty of
rest, to be gentle with their spirit and tender with their heart.
What about you?
I trust you will do the same - for we need you, our
supporters, our friends, our families to share some of your prayers and good
energy with us next week. This Saturday,
June 19th we gather at the retreat site to prepare our hearts (and numerous
logistics) for the arrival of the girls on Sunday morning. They are traveling from Mexico, Canada, and
across the United States. They will arrive dragging their bags behind,
wearing social armor, head down, shoulders hunched. I ask you to please, next week (June 20-26)
send us your compassion, patience, wisdom, prayers, understanding, strength,
bravery, your light, and most importantly your love. We need all of this to pass on to the girls
all day long and into the night. Please send it our way, we will feel it. As you are in your car, eating your lunch, working,
exercising...please send it. I trust that
we will all have extraordinary week.
Angel Faces is not only about needing monetary donations from
all of you - it's about getting behind us with your loving support - to help us
in what we stand for - teaching and encouraging
the wounded girls to heal.
Please be a light for us next week. We need you.
Lesia
Cartelli
Founder and Director
p.s. - we will do
our best to blog each night, check our website at: www.angelfacesretreat.org.
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