A viewer shared a powerful photo with the KLFY newsroom after witnessing a group of “teen girls” praying before entering The Grand 16 movie theatre in Lafayette Saturday night.

The girls in the photo reached out to KLFY to talk about the candid moment.

“We were praying for wisdom in our school studies, for the special people in our lives, for forgiveness, for awareness, for God’s favor, for our moms and dads, for our friends.”

The girls did not wish to be identified, but said they all attended David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy.

“We were out celebrating a friends bday and she wanted to see Spiderman, so we all met up there and believe it or not we were all 30 minutes early.”

It was a laugh out loud moment after one friend said “Imagine that, eight, 13-year-old girls being on-time for anything.”

As they waited, the girls said, the conversation started out colorful talking about boys, make-up, fashion, food, sleep and some new projects that they were all working on.

That is, until one of the girls started talking about how she was happy to have been invited to get out of the house, and spend some time with friends because she had been struggling with what felt like depression.

“No one knew this, that she was struggling so it came as a surprise to all of us because we all hang out together at school, talk on our phones in the evenings, and we talk about everything and we pray for each other and this never, ever came up.”

What happens next, took our breath away! 

“Without missing a beat we all just gathered deeper in a circle, we felt sad for our friend and didn’t know what else to say, so we started praying.”

The girls said they knew that if they were in violation of the rules outside the movie theatre, because there were several Lafayette Police officers nearby, that someone would have stopped them and asked them to go inside.

That never happened!

“We didn’t care who was looking, who was watching, or what they had to say. Our friend was hurting and she needed to know right then and there that we loved her, we were rooting for her, and that we would do anything we could to make sure that she felt better before the night was over.”

The moment didn’t go unnoticed and the captured photo is inspiring.

“If anyone who reads this is hurting or needs someone to talk too, then we say go to your parents, or your school counselor, or your principal, or any authority figure that you trust,” the girls all said together through tears, “they can help you or get you the help you need.”

Our conversation then came to abrupt end, and with a burst of laughter when the girls told me that when they looked up from praying, they saw so many “old people” who were standing in line outside, giving them the thumbs up and some wiping away tears.

I took exception to the term “old people,” and had many questions about who they considered old.

“35 is old, and 40 is old-old, you know like our parents are old-old and not cool like us but we love you to the moon and back, mom and dad.”

The girls wanted to send a special thank you to “Ms. Ty,” a woman they met at the theatre who spoke kind words to them and prayed with them for healing and a life filled with love and happiness.

Late Sunday afternoon, Ms. Ty reached out to KLFY to tell us about her chance meeting with the girls, and how it stuck with her as well.

“All I can say is, All glory to God, “I’m just so blessed to have had an opportunity to share his word and to talk to those young ladies and help them understand his word,” Ms. Tye said.

“I could tell that each of them was going through something with their mothers and so I wanted to remind them that mothers are special and they should always honor and respect their mothers.”

The woman who perhaps changed the lives of some young girls, was spending her Saturday evening with fellow believers whom she lovingly refers too as her “Sisters in Christ.”

“We are women with families and children, those girls could have been our children, I have children their ages so I know what they go through.”

At the end of the encounter, Ms. Ty shared her number with the girls and asked them to call her if they ever needed someone to talk too or someone to pray with.