Not so sad news

I learned this evening that the mom wasn't actually killed by her boyfriend, as claimed by the post below; it turned out to be a false rumor. That news totally made my day!

We had a good time at the teen program tonight. A woman came in and taught the kids some dance moves, and she brought her friend, who is a fun Hispanic guy who combined hip-hop influences with reggae, salsa, and merengue. We all agreed that he was "smooth." The kids didn't know many moves, so I fit right in! She plans to come back for a few more lessons.

On Friday, all the teens are coming to my house for dinner and a movie. I plan to make lasagna. Again. Maybe I should expand my culinary repertoire, but why mess with a good thing?

Sad news

One of the boys in my Sunday school class was recently incarcerated, and another of the teachers and I planned to visit him. The circumstances are fuzzy… something about him habitually missing school and getting in trouble as a result. I drove down to the juvenile detention center and inquired about visiting, but I was told that only his mom and his pastor could see him. I've been called a youth pastor several times, so I guess I am one.

I contacted his mom yesterday and asked her to call the jail and give them permission for J and me to visit her son. She called back today saying that she'd told them to add us to the list, and she also asked me for a ride to the center, since her van is broken. When I called the center to arrange final details, they told me that I needed a clergy card or ordination letter to visit. I wonder how I would go about becoming an authorized clergy member? Something tells me this won't be the last time I visit the youth jail.

On the ride up, she told me about one of the kids who has been in and out of Bob's program. This kid has gotten in a lot of trouble over the years (in fact, he was one of the ones who tried to steal my car, but I don't think she knew that, and I didn't tell her), but she said he's been doing much better as of late. Certainly the few times I've seen him, he's been looking much better. She said that he has been abused many times, as have so many kids in the neighborhood, and of course it makes sense that he would not treat strangers with much respect. I feel terrible for him. She went on to say that she has tried to use "tough love" toward her children and some of the other kids, but she said it was hard for her to do so. For my part, I am still torn: when should I be sensitive to their hurt, and when should I try to demand respect and use "tough love," which I still think is the only way to permanently improve their self-esteem?

When we reached the center, I wasn't allowed to visit, so I drove home. They say bad news comes in threes: Bob called, saying that the mom of one of the girls in our teen program was shot and killed by her boyfriend last night. He also said that the boyfriend of one of the female staff members (who is pictured in the post below) was shot 5 times last night but will probably survive. Bob said it was probably a home break-in related to drugs.

This is all so tragic, but I must remember that love is stronger than death.

There's a lot more to share, but I don't know if this blog is the right venue. Outreach has certainly been more consistent lately (I've been having more people over to my house, and I've been teaching Sunday school regularly), but I don't want this blog to be diluted with mundane stories. Unfortunately, though, more notable events (e.g., today) must be shrouded in generalities so as to preserve the characters' anonymity. If you want more details, please ask me in person. In the meantime, I'll try to keep the blog interesting and relevant.

Ice cream party!

It has been very cold in Indiana as of late, and on Tuesday we had a big snow. On the long commute back from Columbus, the drive went smoothly until we were a stone's throw from our exit in Greenwood. At that moment, the guy in front of me touched his brakes, and I touched mine too, but absolutely nothing happened. I then tried to merge into the left lane, but the car just kept rotating. It was a nasty case of black ice, and after a little fishtailing, my car spun into the median and was rapidly halted by the accumulated snow. It was less dramatic than it sounds... don't worry!

A very nice man picked my two carpool buddies and me up, even though we were close enough to walk to our destination. I spent the next couple hours hanging out with them, and then I drove my other car home. The next morning, it was hard to find my car in the pre-dawn darkness because there were so many other stranded cars and tracks in the snow. That evening I finally got a tow truck out there to pick it up. The car is undamaged, but there is so much ice and snow in the wheels that they are unbalanced and vibrate excessively above 45 mph. When it finally thaws here, I'll be able to take it on the highway again. In the meantime, having a second car is coming in very handy!

The teen program was cancelled on Tuesday, but we made up for it yesterday. This evening, we took the kids to the mall to hang out (we tend toward low-cost activities!), and afterward they all came to my house for ice cream. They enjoyed sitting on the couches and using the computer... I know I'm feeling much more comfortable hanging out with them, and I hope they feel likewise. We had a many different kinds of ice cream, but cookies'n'cream was by far the most popular. I can't blame them, since that's my favorite, too.

The staff members for the teen program. They are cousins.

Much better

On Tuesday the teen group went to the Pacers game, and I tried to take my friends' advice and "loosen up." We piled 5 kids in my little Civic, and our little caravan headed out to the stadium. I yelled at the kids (in a fun way), turned the car so fast it went up on two wheels (almost), and drove over parking cones. I smiled whenever I felt like it and didn't try to be too cool. "You're more crazy than I thought, Ketchup," one little boy told me. Good. (They call me Ketchup because of the loud red Heinz shirt I wear on occasion. My other nickname is Yao Ming. Figures.)

I tried to emulate my good friend Paul, who manages to be both a complete goofball and a highly mature adult—at the same time. I definitely had more fun that night than any before.