Dear friends:

The last series of letters have been about the chaos our Aslan children face - almost every day of their young lives - and how Aslan provides a structured environment in which they can find encouragement and hope.  Jeremy** is no exception.  His formative years were scarred by an abusive mother who once beat him (at the age of 3) so badly that she broke his jaw!  He, his brother and sisters were removed from their mother and came to live in foster care with a loving older couple.  The couple eventually adopted Jeremy and his siblings.

Although their "new" mother and father were wonderful people, they were quite old to be raising Jeremy, his brother, sisters and 9 other adopted children.  There was very little discipline in the household, and most of the 13 kids went to and fro whenever and wherever they pleased.  This resulted in almost all of them ending up in serious trouble of some sort.  Jeremy first became entangled with the law when, as a fifth grader, he was arrested for theft.  As a young teen he began attending Aslan's Christian leadership program, tutoring, camping and sports activities, but he continually struggled to stay out of trouble.  Not long after graduating from high school, Jeremy was accused of using threat and force to steal a boy's jacket.  For this he received a stiff two year sentence at a state prison.  We visited him from time, and Jeremy called every week for spiritual support and advice.

When he was released from prison, Jeremy was still faced with the decision of which path he would follow.  For a while he was involved with a dangerous, quasi-religious group called the "Five Percent Nation of Islam."  With our prayers and support, he decided this was not the path he really wanted.  About a year after leaving prison Jeremy became a member of Aslan's staff, and his character began to grow by leaps and bounds.  He is now married to a wonderful Christian woman, and he is working at a large hotel in our area.  He also continues to work part-time for Aslan and is pursuing a career in Gospel music.  No one can say for certain where Jeremy would be were it not for the work of Aslan Youth Ministries, but I strongly believe he would still be in jail or possibly even dead.

Thanks to God's work through Aslan and thanks to loving, caring and generous people like you, the end of this story - like the stories of so many other Aslan children - is a happy one.  May God richly bless you for your gifts to Aslan and for your prayers.  With your gracious help, we are making a difference that counts!
 

Most sincerely,

 Craig

Craig Bogard