August 17, 2020
Dear Friends,
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
A young man that has participated in our ministry shot himself in the head this month.
He is hanging onto life by a thread but no matter how it ends up it’s a tragedy. This young man has a mother and father and sisters and brothers and friends. Yet that didn’t seem to be enough. Let me share the words of Josh De La Rosa, our Southern New Mexico Program Manager, regarding this young man.
“I received a call on messenger but couldn’t take the call. I sent a text right back but immediately received another call. These are the moments where concern leads to a feeling that causes your stomach to tighten and your heart to drop. Then you hold your breath and take in the news you know you don’t wanna hear. A young man who had been locked up delivered the blow. He explained how his friend took a .38 revolver and shot himself directly in the temple of his head. My heart dropped even lower, kinda like it is now.
I could only see this young man’s face and smile. Just like the smile I see on my own son. It screamed joy and invited you in to share his excitement in the unknown. Why was he smiling? Why was he so excited? What did he know that I didn’t? Maybe it was just him holding back his ability to completely dominate us in basketball. This kid had hops. He could practically touch his chest on the basketball rim that hung 6 feet away from the center block padded wall he launched from. He is like a centaur, half-man with legs of a horse. Any ball he touched he became a pro. The reality is he learned every sport he played during his commitment with CYFD. Never once experiencing the childhood thrill of winning a big game, team uniforms, or eating pizza after a loss. He was so excited when I made them jerseys for the flag football team. He practiced with us but never got to play. Unfortunately, he allowed the influence of his friends to get the best of him and was put on “high risk” and didn’t get to participate.“
There is so much more I could share about this young man. Just know that the Scripture above is very real when you work in ministry with broken youth. “Steal, kill and destroy” is a daily battle for our kids. But your support of LifeQuest provides the answers they are looking for even though most don’t have a clue. “Life abundant” is the desire of Jesus for our kids. It should be ours also.
Thank you for your prayers and financial support of this ministry. We will continue to reach these kids with a message of hope.
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