A number of Septembers ago (in the early years of our tutorial program) our first night back for the new school year was accompanied by a torrential downpour. Most of the tutors and students were safe and sound inside, when I heard a tapping on the front glass door of the school. The custodian had accidentally locked the door, so I was surprised to find three Aslan students standing there smiling but literally soaked to the bone. One of them quickly blurted out, "Our tutors forgot us, so we just ran here as fast as we could." I have reflected on this incident many times over the years, and it has left a lasting impression on me. It was not a quest for higher learning that brought these three children to the school that evening. It was their need to be appreciated and cared for . . . their desire to be loved. Running several blocks through the blinding rain in the darkness of night was a seemingly small price to pay to be loved.
Several weeks ago, I had another similar experience. I was stopped at an intersection near where some of our Aslan children live, when someone shouted my name and came flying around the back of our Aslan van on a bicycle. To my surprise, there stood Monk! Here was a young man that was begging to come to Aslan when he was barely old enough to walk out to the bus. It did not matter what Aslan was doing - tutoring, youth classes, basketball, softball, cycling or summer camp - Monk was always the first one there. After his mother died, Monk lived with his grandmother. Last year he lived with relatives in Minnesota, but now he was back - bigger than life! And the first words out of his mouth were, "When do we start up Aslan again?!"
Whether coming through the blinding rain or roaring up in broad daylight on a bicycle, the children of Aslan are running to be loved. With God's grace and your continued help, Aslan will always be here for children in need - our arms and hearts open wide and waiting.
Most sincerely,