Aslan Newsletter of November 4, 1996
"What if there isn't any Aslan when I'm 13?" Ten-year-old Mary blurted out this plaintive cry on the bus ride home last week. We had just presented a program about our experience in Haiti this summer. It was great to see 18 children sit in rapt attention, watching a video presentation and asking questions of our Aslan teen-agers who went on the trip. Mary, a newcomer to Aslan, was drinking it all in - fascinated and full of questions. Her hand shot up as she said, "How old would I have to be to go on a trip like this one?" You could see the disappointment in her eyes, when I told her she would need to be 13.

On the bus ride home, Mary was really quiet at first. It did not dawn on me why she was so silent, until she suddenly shouted out (above the din of 18 other voices), "What if there isn't any Aslan when I'm 13?" I tried to assure her that God has graciously provided for Aslan for 21 years, and we believe He will continue providing for us for the future. The radiant smile that lit up her face told me my answer satisfied her.

A couple of days later, four of our afternoon cherubs were here at our office. One girl wrote the following note on the computer. "I love Aslan Youth Ministries workers very much - Like Teresa, Craig and Lynn Ann and Mrs. Pam. Love always, Shantaya." Another girl wrote, "You (Aslan) are in my heart. I love you. You are my friend. Paulette."

What if there were no Aslan? It is a good question that bears some serious thought. Believe me, things can get pretty discouraging at times. Only this August we learned the borrowed space for our afternoon classes that serve Mary, Shantaya, Paulette and 30 other children was no longer available to us. Since these classes were set to begin in September, we were sent scrambling to locate alternate space. Consequently, our classes did not begin until November. The sad thing is our programs are much too expendable to those who do not hear the angelic voice of a sweet-hearted little girl like Mary. If you were a "fly on the wall" during one of our activities, you would know in an instant that Aslan is far from expendable in the hearts of our Aslan youth. It would be a sad, sad day if our ministry were not here for them. May God bless you for your gift of . Pray with us that Aslan will one day soon have a place of our own to "lay our heads." In the meantime, we will keep sharing our love with these precious and beautiful children - day by day - watching broken hearts be healed.

Most sincerely,