Sorry I haven’t been around much lately. There are reasons…none of which I’m going to get into right now. I’ll write more soon. This note is just to ask you to pray about some things. It’s been a rough couple of weeks, culminating in a rough day today.

I’ve been feeling like things are spiraling downwards a bit. Let me start by saying that I’m tired and that never helps. But in the last couple of weeks a couple of guys I was working with up and left unexpectedly. And now I just got a phone call from the home asking if one of the guys, Jose Miguel, had contacted me, because he left this morning. I just had a great Bible study with him last night and was telling Isabel over lunch, that God has really been transforming this kid’s life. And now…. He was one of the few guys who seemed to be doing well. I know that the story isn’t over and that things could still be fine. I don’t know why he left or what his plans are. But it’s still frustrating and sad.

There have just been a series of events that have discouraged me recently. Some of the older guys are living in a little one room trailer we have at the home and when I went in to see them on Sunday, they had a big poster of a half-naked girl on the wall (I’m not sure how that passed inspection at the home). These are guys that know better, but just don’t seem to care right now. I’m also worried about the guys living with me. Especially the one guy. He’s not doing anything wrong exactly, but it feels like he’s starting to slip away and I’m not exactly sure what to do.

At some point you start to question the reality of what you’re accomplishing here. It just feels like all the steps forward I’ve taken in the past year or so, haven’t resulted in anything all that tangible.

Don’t get me wrong. Even as I write this, I recognize that it’s not really true. I understand that God is still faithful and that good things have and will continue to happen. I’m just telling you how I feel… =)

But it’s true that many of these guys have never really had an encounter with Christ. They make a “commitment” (which I’m sure is sincere for many of them…I just question what they actually understand about it) and then learn how to act. For many of them, there continue to be issues and struggles under the surface that they don’t understand or know how to deal with. So unless their faith is being propped up by some outside force…or when that outside force isn’t sufficient…they fall hard. And trust me…you never quite know when that’s coming. As today is a good example of…

So, if you can pray for them…and for me…it would be appreciated.

Sunday we also had a visitor who I hadn’t seen in awhile. A young guy named Julio. He left the home about a year and a half ago, after being there for nearly six years. He left very unexpectedly as well. I hadn’t seen him since (although he’s in the video I made, so I think about him whenever I watch it and wonder how he’s doing). On Sunday this kid came up and shook my hand and said hello. We’ve had a lot of new guys lately, so I didn’t realize at first who it was. When I recognized him, I started laughing and gave him a big hug. He was a kid I really liked a lot.

Later that night as I was about to leave, we went out to my truck and talked for a bit. He was just at the home to visit and pick up his “papers” that he needed to get his ID card. I asked him about his life and how he was doing. It was painful to hear. He’s living with his girlfriend and her family…who he doesn’t like (the girlfriend and the family). He wants to leave, but doesn’t know where to go. He talked about his mom who left to work in another city and hasn’t tried to contact him. He doesn’t know where she is. As he told me this, I was watching him and you could see the pain in his eyes.

Eventually in the conversation, I asked him how old he was now. Sixteen. He left us when he was fourteen. I’d forgotten he was still so young. What a sad existence for that age. I tried to encourage him that he should come back to the home. I also told him that he wasn’t alone…that I would be there to help him. We’re going to get together on Thursday for lunch to talk some more. So please pray for him as well.

The only other prayer request I have is to find a house for the new home. I’ve been looking and nothing has come up that suites us. I don’t want to settle for something that doesn’t really serve our needs, but time is becoming an issue and I’m definitely feeling the pressure. Please pray that God directs us to the place He has for us, and that I can have peace and patience until then! =)

Sorry this letter is a bit mellow and down. But such is life some days.  Thanks for praying. I appreciate it. I’ll get back to you soon on how things are going.

One encouraging note is that I hear it’s freaking cold in Saskatchewan right now. Ha.