Reason
to Celebrate!
At a recent
doctor's office visit the subject of Crosswalk came up as I got
acquainted with a doctor I had not seen before. It soon became
clear why he was particularly interested in our work with juvenile
offenders. “My nephew was one,” he said, stopping
his work to give more than a passing thought to the dialogue.
He shared that his nephew had not had a father in his life and
that his mother (the doc’s sister) was not a very good mother.
So in his mid-teens the kid had come to live with him. When the
young man was 19, the doc said he came home one night in late
December with a cake and candles and party hats. It was no one’s
birthday, so Doc asked for an explanation. He said he would never
forget the answer. With a smile as big as Texas, his nephew replied,
“This is the first year since I was 13 that I haven’t
spend any time in jail. That’s something to celebrate!”
If I had to
sum up what we do at Crosswalk Ministries in one word, it would
be celebrate.
In 2010, we have celebrated birthdays with 1,262 kids. We have
celebrated the artistic talents of 77 kids. We have provided gifts
and parties for 194 kids in the past week to celebrate the Christmas
season. And most importantly, 6,314 juvenile offenders in 2010
heard about the ultimate reason to celebrate—the grace of
Jesus that has the power to set us free from our past. That is
indeed something to celebrate!
As 2010 comes
to a close, we wish each of you many reasons to celebrate during
this blessed holiday season. Merry
Christmas from all of us at Crosswalk Ministries.
God
Talk: Inside the RAV—Rest
|
For
many of these kids, the holidays are difficult, not
just because they are locked up or are on probation,
but because many of them do not have warm family traditions
and happy memories of holidays past. We have provided
parties and gifts this Christmas for 194 kids in correctional
facilities, and in doing so, we have given to Jesus
according to Matthew 25. Would you consider a year-end
gift to help offset the cost of these gifts?
We
need your partnership as we cast the vision for 2011—multiple
summer tours to reach more kids,
expansion of ARTreach 180 to reach
more kids,
hiring a program director and training more volunteers
to reach
more kids,
getting into more facilities for birthday parties to
reach
more kids.
We cannot do this without you.
Please
consider a year-end gift. Remember all checks postmarked
by December 31 will be tax-deductible for this year.
You can also donate online. Help us give kids a reason
to celebrate!
Gina
|
|
