The other day, one of the young men got a phone call from his father. He was all set, for the third weekend in a row, to have his dad visit and to be able to spend the night with his family. And for the third time in a row, on the day that his family was supposed to visit, his dad called to cancel. Needless to say, this young man was stuck between being heart broken and knowing that this is the way things had always been with his father – empty promises gone unfulfilled.

As I thought about this young man’s situation, it brought to mind a dozen young people who have never had a visit from their families. Young people, some of whom have been here for a year, who have never had a parent visit and spend time with them and show them, personally, how proud they are of them. In fact, I can think of a young man who, after two years in the program, graduated high school last year and was promoted to junior staff. But no one from his family came to share in his moment. No one from his family came to pat him on the back and say “We are proud of you”. And that is so sad.

I say that to say this: the Adopt A Teen program is a wonderful opportunity to be a blessing to these young people. While you may not realize the importance of your commitment, you may literally be the only one who sends a birthday card or a Christmas present. Yours may be the only letter a young person will receive. You may speak the only words of encouragement a young person will hear from someone outside of Freedom Village.

Your commitment to these young people is vital. Not only do your financial gifts help keep the ministry going, but your personal involvement helps keep these young people going. Your kind words and generosity speak volumes to these teens – some of who have been all but abandoned in this world.

I hope you understand how important you are to these young people, and how important you are to the ministry of Freedom Village. And I hope you realize the opportunity you have to receive abundant blessings. I have often said, over these twenty five years of ministry, that we couldn’t have done it without you. But more importantly, there are young people who can literally say that, if it weren’t for you, they would have never made it.