Changing Their Story
Posted on Thursday, January 18, 2018 by
By Claire Froehlich, Juvenile Justice Chaplain
I received a letter recently from “Wyatt”, a 14 year-old young man from a small mountain town I’d met with this summer. He writes,
“Thank you for your letter and all you’ve done for me Claire. It’s the first letter I’ve received here. You have no idea the happiness your writing me brings. I literally cried…thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m having a much better day now.”
Wyatt’s family was ripped apart this summer when his mom’s long-term struggle with alcoholism and his father’s enabling behavior overwhelmed the local police’s ability to help manage the family. Human services stepped in and determined it was too dangerous for Wyatt to live in the house and, with a charge of his own, he got taken into custody.
“My father lost the house (to the bank) and had to leave the state to get work. Thank you for praying with me and helping me write the letter to my mom. I think it got through to her and helped me tell her my feelings without making her mad. I almost got in trouble for something and I was so happy that my therapist worked it out with the staff to show I wasn’t responsible. It is a horrible feeling to get charged for something you didn’t do. I wonder how Jesus felt when he was wrongly convicted. I feel pretty alone but have been reading my Bible and joined Bible study here with YFC so I’m content. But I’d still love for you to visit me!”
Even a small, fledgling relationship can mean the world to a young person in crisis. I am amazed by Wyatt’s heart for Jesus as well as his new-found resilience and hope as he was dangerously suicidal when we first met. It is rare to see such growth and transformation so quickly! Your investment in his life is just one of the many lives that you have changed for good and forever.
Thank you for being a part of the ongoing conversation with youth in our city like Wyatt and helping us share God’s story. It's our honor to be the storytellers on your behalf who meet kids right where they are and give life to their story.
Providing young people in our community with the opportunity to make an informed decision to be a follower of Jesus Christ and become part of a local church.