Dear friends:

Back in April I wrote to you about a young man named Carlos**.  His single-parent mother has worked very hard to get off the welfare rolls and raise her 5 children by herself.  In June she started working as a nurse at Monmouth Medical Center from 10 PM to 6 AM.  She arrives back home each morning just in time to get the kids off to school and fall into bed for a few hours of rest.  Then she is up again at 2:30 PM, when her children get home from school.

Carlos became a big part of our lives when the social worker at the school called and asked us to work with her to help him.  He was one inch away from being expelled.  During the late spring and early summer, he was in and out of our Aslan office every day!  One particular afternoon we were unloading a truck filled with garage sale items, when he complained of a bad headache.  We suggested he go upstairs in our office and lie down for a while.  He acted a little strangely when he returned an hour later, but we assumed he was still just not feeling well.

The next morning I discovered that Aslan's petty cash box was pried open and $75.00 was missing.  I knew that Carlos had taken it, so I immediately left for his house to talk to him.  Rather than accuse him, I simply asked him if there was something he would like to tell me.  Within a couple of minutes, he said, "I took some money that I shouldn't have taken."  I tried to help him understand that my biggest disappointment was not in the money he took but in the trust he had broken.  He knew it was wrong to take the money.  What Carlos had not considered as he was breaking open the cash box was how much hurt it would cause in our relationship.  I assured him that even though it would take some time for us to rebuild the trust we had lost, we still loved him very much and we would work together to make things right.

Although every child that walks through the doors of Aslan will not end up a wonderful success story, we hope Carlos will be one of the ones who does.  Our job is not an easy one, but the large number of children who have been transformed over the years through Aslan Youth Ministries are a testimony to the fact that love (with a good dose of patience, perseverance and discipline) never fails!

We really appreciate your prayers and gifts.  By the way, one of our stellar volunteers (Mr. Harry Douty) is now spending several hours each week as a friend and surrogate grandfather to Carlos.  Harry's investment of time and love will pay tremendous dividends in this young man's life.  God bless Harry, our many other volunteers and each and everyone of you who give to make this work possible!
 

In His love,

 Craig

Craig Bogard