Dear friends:
I am often asked, "What impact does your work have on the families of your Aslan kids?" Cheryl, a wonderful woman who has dedicated her life to raising two of her sister's children, is a perfect example. When we started a summer program in the Long Branch housing projects in 1991, Cheryl immediately enrolled her six-year-old niece in our summer day camp. Mary is now fourteen and a regular member of our Long Branch teenage group. She is one of four girls from that program who plan to go with us to Haiti in August.
We learned more and more how very special Cheryl is, as she began volunteering for Aslan. She was also raising her nephew, James, who had an incurable heart disease. Cheryl was taking James back and forth to a hospital in Philadelphia in a small car with no air conditioning and no room for him to lie down. Some wonderful Aslan supporters donated a minivan to us that we gave to Cheryl. Another dedicated Aslan volunteer bought a computer for James and spent hours working with him on the internet. He even paid for the monthly internet fee out of his own pocket, until James' death last year.
Cheryl's brother, Mark, has also been deeply touched through Aslan. Mark is a real character, with a dry and witty sense of humor. During the holidays, Aslan provided lots of presents for Cheryl and Mary, but we forgot about Mark. His feelings were genuinely hurt, so we went out after Christmas and bought a present for him. This one gift has revolutionized our relationship with Mark. He's volunteering his time each Wednesday to help with our youth classes, and several weeks ago he decided to go with us to Haiti!
Your prayers and your gifts make it possible for Aslan to minister to families like Cheryl's and make such a profound difference in their lives! And Cheryl's family is only one of many that are dramatically impacted through the ministry of Aslan. Each and every day, God's Love In Action through Aslan is rebuilding broken lives and healing broken hearts. Like a stone dropped in a pond, the rippling effect of this work spreads far and wide.
Perhaps this month you would consider a special gift (in addition to your regular giving) to help Mark and Mary with their expenses for Project Haiti. It is very difficult for all of our Aslan youth or adults to afford the $850.00/person for this amazing and life-tranforming trip. Please earmark your special gifts "for Mark and Mary" at the bottom of your check. We truly appreciate all that you do to make the ministry of Aslan possible!
Sincerely in Christ,
Craig Bogard