The Answer

The semester is finally over, and it's been an awesome one. And though I feel like Christmas kind of came at an inconvenient time, I'm glad to see that the Holy Spirit is definitely working in that juvee, and who knows, maybe a month off will give the guys plenty of time to process what we've been telling them all semester. I've definitely seen more of a genuine interest in Christ this past semester than I did last year. There's three guys in particular that are extremely close to accepting Christ as Savior, and I just wish that we could talk to them a little more before the break. I've also started to further realize the backgrounds these guys are coming from. I understood before that things hadn't been the greatest for them, but now I'm starting to understand some of the details. Most of the guys have been in a center like their current one before, most only have their mom around anymore, most have backgrounds in drugs, and many even have their own families (It can be kind of hard to not act surprised when you're asking the guys for prayer requests, and they ask you to pray for their little girls-especially if the dad is maybe 17).

These guys have been through a lot, and to be honest, many have nowhere else to go. They've hit rock bottom, and things don't look like they'll ever turn around. But that is where Christ comes in. I've seen Him radically change the lives of people around me, as well as mine, and I know He can do it again for these guys. They want to change. Believe it or not, they don't want to be in an institution like that for the rest of their lives. They want to change, they want freedom, they want to live for something, a life with meaning, and they're desperate for answers, as to how to obtain these things. Which is how they end up in there. They try to fill these voids with drugs, gangs, theft and they don't realize it's temporary and it's leading them places they don't want to go until it's too late.

And now, now that they've come to terms with where they're at, they realize that there's got to be an answer that satisfies. An answer that truly fills, and leads to true freedom. And it's the same God who led His people across the Red Sea, who can lead these guys to true freedom as well. That's the answer they're looking for. I just pray they see that soon.