Angelina tried hard to stay out of trouble. She attended church regularly and participated in a dance group. Then, she lost her way.
“I fell in love with someone I shouldn't, ”the teen says. "Lost in love, I neglected my relationship with God. I stopped studying and left home. My boyfriend pressured me to do several criminal acts and I did them.”
Angelina was arrested and sentenced to three years in a Honduran juvenile detention center. While incarcerated, she was beaten by other gang members. Her boyfriend was sentenced to ten years in jail for different crimes.
“I never imagined that I would be in prison, be a shame for my family, and be the subject of TV news stories,” she says.
Angelina became depressed. She thought of all the poor decisions she made. Inside the girls’ detention center, Angelina listened to Miriam and Karla from Orphan Helpers talk about God's plans and purposes. She decided to participate in the devotionals and to reconcile with God.
“The confinement helped me to get closer to God. It was the only way to open my eyes and get away from people who used me and left me nothing good,” Angelina recalls.
Angelina joined the Success Academy inside the detention center and learned different life skills. She also participated in the beauty workshop to learn a trade.
Now released from detention, Angelina has started participating in the same church she attended before her incarceration. This time, she is committed to staying the course and to letting no one distract her from her aspirations of graduating from college and becoming an advocate for children.