I first met Jenny at the Freedom Summit 2009 (before there was a house, horses, or volunteer trainings.) It was just Jenny at a booth talking about this dream she had. As I eavesdropped on a conversation she was having, I have to admit it sounded too good to be true. This woman wanted to build a home Northern California for victims of sex trafficking and use horses as a part of the therapy! I finally introduced myself and told her that this is exactly what I wanted to be a part of, but I wanted to know that she was for real. I’m not sure if I said it out loud but I definitely thought to myself, “If I don’t walk away in the next few seconds I’m gonna work for you one day!”
Shortly after, I attended my first concert, followed by the first ever volunteer orientation and training in January of 2010. During that training, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) shared. As I sat there and listened, it didn’t make sense to me to just wait for Courage House to open. I needed to do something now! I became a CASA in May 2010, and have been with the same youth for this past year. During this time, she ran away for six months and I had the most devastating, helpless feeling ever. I was reminded by a friend that I was still this girl’s advocate and that I was also her advocate before God. I prayed only two things for her while she was gone: 1) to come home safely; and 2) that she was not being trafficked. And the day she called me to let me know she had turned herself in was the best phone call I have ever received! I felt like the woman who had lost a coin then found it and needed to celebrate with everyone! In the last six months, I have also been volunteering with the horse care out at Courage House. God is so good at combining our passions better than we could have imagined!
God taught me that consistency and faithfulness to Our Girls and each other in the big things and in the little things is vital. There will most definitely be days when it seems that there is no fruit from our labor, that the relationships we thought we were building have failed or that we didn’t do enough. And that is not true. It is not up to us to determine the fruit or success of our work. It is God’s work and he has called us to consistency and faithfulness. So welcome my friends!
-Lydia Leanos
C2BU is excited to announce that Lydia Leanos has just accepted the Courage House staff position of Recreation and Equine Coordinator just as God spoke to her spirit 2 ½ years ago.
Welcome Lydia!
