Last week at the end of my Bible study at a detention center, a staff member came to escort me out of the building. While walking down the hallway he simply said, “Ken, you and the guys you bring with you are making a big difference in the lives of these young men.” I thanked him. He then went on to tell me this story.
A few days earlier he was opening doors of individual cells to take guys to a scheduled event. He looked in the window before he opened the next door. Standing inside was the teenage boy, around 15 years old with a piece of his sheet tied around his neck in several knots. The boy had tied the sheet in so many knots and wanted to get it untied but couldn’t get the knots untied. So, there he stood, waiting for someone to help while tears were streaming down his face.
The man opened the door, told him this isn’t the answer and freed him. Of course this young man is getting the follow up counseling he needs now. The staff member stopped me and said, “Ken, you have been in here several times over the past few days and this young man is in your Bible study. He is now the happiest boy in the room. He is always smiling and he seems so encouraged. You are making a difference.”
I am constantly aware that it is actually a combined effort to reach these youth I meet each week. Those who support me are the arms and legs that bring me to these young men. Thank you for praying for me and for the gifts and donations that make this possible!
