Good Morning!  I'm feeling rather accomplished and proud of myself...It's not yet noon, and this post is going up!  Yay me.  Never mind that I haven't posted for a couple days :)  I feel like I got ripped through a knot hole backwards (whatever a knot hole is....) and probably should seek out an urgent care today for a puffer refill since breathing isn't as over rated as I once thought.  So, this blog post is a victory today!  Now, lets get to the meat, shall we?

I got a phone call from Aaron at 7:21 am.  Yep, you read right.  7:21 am.  For those of you that know me well, you know that my eyes are far from open at that hour!  Aaron is the young man that I spent Friday night talking to about his relationship with Christ, and who yesterday called to tell me he got a job interview at Target and didn't even sound like the same young man.  He was light-hearted and laughing.  He said even he couldn't deny he felt and sounded different.  He called this morning to tell me that he and his dad got in a huge argument and that his dad called his faith a joke, and that "this God" he believed in wasn't going to come through for him.  Aaron showed him the Bible I gave him, and his dad told him anyone can walk up to him and give him a Bible, it don't mean they really care about him.  Aaron was scared and feeling pretty beat up when I talked to him.  We talked for about an hour or so, and I told him that this kind of thing was going to happen.  That people were going to come against him for what he believed, even those he loved.  I told him that God would speak for himself, and that as he began to change Aaron, people wouldn't be able to deny the change they saw.

I told Aaron I was proud of him for going and getting a job interview, and for standing his ground and standing for his faith this morning.  He told me he had never had anyone tell him they were proud of him for anything.  I told him not to argue with his dad, and not to discuss his faith when he was mad or upset with his dad.  I told him I'd be praying for him and his interview today, that I'd pray for his relationship with his dad, and that he had to call me and let me know how it went after his interview today.  I could tell he was smiling when he said, "Oh!  I will!"  Aaron told me that after his mother passed away his dad became a hard man and he rakes Aaron over the coals verbally.  Aaron is a tough kid physically, but he is a gentle young man with a soft heart.  He told me today that his dad's words cut really deep.
This is the kind of thing I was talking about with the enemy trying to squash the seed of hope in these kids.  Please pray against this!  We have the power and the authority to defeat this kind of work.  Satan is already defeated, people!  Let's remind him, collectively, that he is.  Put him back in his place, so to speak.  Please pray for Aaron- for his success in getting this job, for his success in getting back on track with God, for his heart to heal, for his relationship with his father, and for his father's salvation.  Aaron is going on the retreat, so pray that he'd connect with some of these kids that are also going so he would know he's not alone on his journey and he can reach out to other kids.

Thanks for praying and I'll keep you posted!  Pray for me too!  I need the energy to keep up with these guys this weekend!  We are headed to Dallas, PA.  Should be a great time!  Love you guys!