You could be the one God uses to change the life of a child like Jason.* Here’s the tragic letter his mom sent to us just over two years ago:
“After we were abandoned by his father, his father went to prison and I raised Jason alone. This year after careful consideration I welcomed his father to get to know Jason. It was a promise I made to my son, and after his release Jason was able to meet him, go to a baseball game with him, and what looked like positive steps of reconciliation for them.
His father... resorted back to his criminal and drug addict ways, and 4 months after his release he chose to break into my old apartment in a drug induced attempt to abduct me and possibly Jason. He had a gun and was ordered to put the gun down by the police. He put it down and then chose to lunge for it. He was shot and killed by police.
Jason and I have had an extremely rough time. We were informed that his father had been stalking us and was possibly going to kill me and then himself. My son is at a precarious age and I am concerned his grades are not good, he has difficulty in life. I have begun a serious walk with God in this last two years and I try to instill this in Jason. He believes in Jesus and I pray every day that he finds that the Lord and myself love him...
Every month is a struggle and I fear Jason is slipping away slowly. I’m at a loss at what to do. Please help me help him.”
As soon as we read this plea, we knew Jason needed the love and support he would find at Youth Haven! That summer, he came for a week and had a great time. The following fall, he attended a weekend retreat and recommitted his life to Christ!
Since then, Jason has come to Youth Haven five additional times. Our staff have been able to show him persistent love and unconditional acceptance. And we’ve been able to teach him more about the Bible and God’s amazing love for him.
This year, Jason became a part of our ELEVATE teen program, where he can receive more focused mentoring and discipleship from our staff while helping with the younger kids and serving as a role model for them. Because friends like you cared enough to give, Jason’s life has been changed forever!
*Name changed for confidentiality