|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
January 24, 2002 - Sticks and Stones
Welcome to 2TheHeart!
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
-William Cowper
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Valentine's Day is coming! Send beautiful roses accompanied by a FREE teddy bear and steal your sweetie's heart!
http://www.qksrv.net/click-404250-5837436
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gorgeous Valentine candles from CandleMart! Pink heart shapes roly poly candles in strawberry or cinnamon scents for only $3.49 each! Also check out the "melt your heart" candles - also with darling heart shapes inside! Floating heart candles in red, pink, white or ivory at only $1.99! And Candlemart's special 4 piece "Melt Your Heart" set is on sale at $9.99! Get a free candle with your order! http://www.qksrv.net/click-404250-55515
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's great to be able to share another story from Jon Tun. Jon is
fast becoming a 2theheart fave and I look forward to sharing many of his uniquely outstanding stories with you in the future!
"Sticks and Stones"
by Jon Tun
"We gotta take 'em out Jon. There's no other way out!" said the youth next to me. "No way Richey, we are NOT going to fight" I said. Despite my protests, many of "my kids" started picking up bricks and broken bottles to face the menacing gang in front of us. They were members of the Latin Kings, and even though my kids were not members of the rival gang, they had been foolishly mocking the rival gang sign as defiance for being followed around. We thought we had gotten away from them when we raced over a twelve-foot fence enclosing a demolition site. But we had lost precious time climbing and maneuvering past the rubble to get to our "getaway car"; meanwhile, the "L.K." had circled around, cutting off our escape path. This was not how I had envisioned my last night with them to end - at all. "God, you started this, you gotta get us out of this" I prayed.
This all had started out innocently enough. I was a youth counselor at a local Chicago youth group in the neighborhood where I grew up. These were mostly white, middle class church-grown kids. One day, as I was walking to my car, one of the neighborhood kids whose name was Rafael ("Raf") came up to me and asked if he could come along. Seeing no harm in him coming, I brought him. Raf enjoyed it so much that the next time he brought his friends. Little did I know that Raf was one of the ringleaders in a circle of mostly Hispanic friends who were called taggers. "Taggers" were given the name because they name-"tag" buildings, overpasses, subways - pretty much everything, with their nicknames. "Graffiti" is what most people call it.
When I came to realize that they were taggers, it became apparent why God desired me to work with them, to show them a life outside of what they had known. They needed to know who God was, and why their destructive, anti-authoritarian life was not what He wished. I did this by demonstrating love and acceptance, in addition to teaching them what the Bible had to say about what was good and just. But most importantly I showed them how God wanted to have a personal relationship with them, and that He could change their life forever from the inside out.
As destiny would have it, I got engaged and married during that time period. The time came when I would have to leave my "hood" to embark on my new life in Springfield with my newlywed wife. The last night with my kids, I had decided, was going to be a fun night out on the town with Chicago-style pizza and arcade games. We piled into my minivan and headed downtown where we gorged ourselves with pizza and headed to the arcade. That's when the trouble started.
Make no mistake; my kids were far from being "angelic" in behavior. They were impetuous, streetwise tough, and naively believed
themselves to be "invincible". Their language was far from pristine.
From the way they dressed and behaved, people still avoided us like the plague. So it wasn't surprising to see the Latin Kings sizing us up when we showed up in their "turf". Some of my kids, being the pranksters they are, started "throwing up" opposing gang signs to challenge their authority. Sensing impending danger, I told the kids that it was time to go and headed out the door. The Kings followed us. We ran. They chased. This was no longer a game and we were scared. We raced down a dark alley and found that it dead-ended by a tall fence next to a demolition site. Hurriedly, we moved a dumpster next to the fence and climbed over it. We were just one more block to the safety of my vehicle. It was just in sight when we jumped a gate to turn up the block - and then we were trapped.
The Kings came racing around the corner and cut us off. "Thought you could get away - SUCKERS!" they shouted along with
obscenities. "Yeah, well we're gonna whoop your ass!" one of my kids retorted. Just great, I thought. Sergio, the biggest and meanest looking one in our group, stepped up next to me and said "What are you going to do bro'?" Asking God for guidance, I said, "I'm going to run to the minivan and I want everyone to follow me". With that I raced to the vehicle, quickly jumping into the driver's seat to start the engine. "Get in now, or get left behind!" I shouted. They piled in hurriedly, some climbing over me to get in. The Kings, surprised that we had turned "chicken" ran after us, but not before I was gunning the engine down the street to safety. A bottle was hurdled after us but hit harmlessly on my bumper. My kids stuck their tongue out as they looked back through the rear window. I shook my head - defiant to the end they were.
I dropped them off, one by one, at their homes. Many of their moms came out to thank me personally for all the work I did with their kids. I thanked them, gave the kids a firm handshake and hug before seeing them off, and waved goodbye. I was sad to see them go, and I fought to maintain my composure until I got choked up driving home alone. What was to become of them, I wondered.
I believe the strongest message I could have learned from that night was that things never happen the way I plan, but according to God's, who is protecting us. Jeremiah 29:11 says "for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" Those were not my kids, Lord; they were Yours.
Christus lux mundi.
Jonathon Tun copyright 2001
jwtun@tva.gov
Jon has dedicated this story to all those who have contributed to the ongoing work of "Hope for Chattanooga" - a Christian-based urban renewal/outreach program under which he serves. Without your help, there would be no hope in the ghetto. See http://www.hope4.org for more information, or contact Jon Tun at jwtun@tva.gov. You can read Jon's Previous stories in the 2theheart archives: "Take That Baby for a Ride", and "Death of a Snowman".
**************************
2THEHEART BIRTHDAY CLUB!
Happy Birthday tomorrow - January 25th to:
Roz Dishno (Chuck's wife!) dishgov@mcn.net
Pat Kellemeyer PKellemeye@aol.com
Pat is our 77 year-young Poet Extraordinaire!
Send lots of birthday wishes to these special friends of mine!
**************************
The Letter Box:
Dear 2theheart,
I was moved to tears while reading "Confessions" by Sheila Cantrell. I feel the same way as she when she describes how God answers prayers in His time according to His plan. I have very similar feelings concerning my own children and their birth order. I wanted a little girl SO bad for such a long time but didn't get her until 2 1/2 years ago. I had often wondered why He decided to bless me with 2 boys first, then later, bless me with my little girl. But, as Shelia has realized His plan for her, so did I. I'm a much better Mother to my children now than I was 12 years ago and I believe that fact will show in their adulthood. I know my boys will need me as they grow and always will, and I will be there for them. But, I feel that a daughter's need for her Mother is very strong and sometimes can be a complex issue when hitting the teen years. We grow up needing our Mothers so much and want to be just like them while young, but, when the teen years hit, that changes dramatically.
I had a falling out with my Mother at that time in my life and not
too long ago have healed from the loss. We have found each other and have a Mother-Daughter relationship...with an added friendship, too. My hope for my daughter, McKenzie, is one of much anticipated dreams for a loving and connected relationship always...especially during the difficult teen years. I expect strong opposition and doubt from her, but, I also know that she will come to me in need...as I will be standing there waiting for her. She'll need me to be there for her in times of joy, trouble, sorrow and fear. She'll also need me just to listen, really listen, to her hopes and dreams and wonders of the world...looking for comfort along the way. I plan to give her all of what I didn't receive while growing and anticipate it wholeheartedly.
Thank-you 2theheart for the stories that move tears of joy towards inspiration. And thank-you Sheila for sharing your heartfelt feelings.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Hittle
hittleframing@comsys.net
Dear Susan,
I'm really sorry to hear about your accident, I hope nobody in the
family sustained any injury whatsoever, may the Almighty God continue to bless and protect your family.
Best Regards,
~Rita Mowete-Atuonah, Nigeria
ratuonah@wonderfoods.com
Dear Susan,
I know God was protecting you too - we need you at 2theheart too much to let go of! I'm glad His guardian angels wrapped their wings around you and your children when you had that awful accident on the freeway. Every dose of 2theheart is like spiritual medicine! Thank you for all that you do. You are loved!
~Geena
Dear Sheila,
Your wonderful story made me take a look at my own children and the ways they reach out to me for more attention, more care. Thank you for opening my eyes!
~Pam
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
www.2theheart.com
Making a difference, one story at a time!
NEW VALENTINE AD SPECIAL! www.2theheart.com/advertising
Subscribe: 2THEHEART-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Free eCards: www.2theheart.com/free_ecards_/
See our store! www.2theheart.com/our_store_/
To submit a story to 2TheHeart: www.2theheart.com/submit_story/
Archives: www.2theheart.com/archives
Other 2theheart recommended sites: (Our brother and sister sites!)
Ripplemaker.com is our "Brother" web site. Bob sends out "Starfish", and "Sand Dollar" newsletters of wonderful, inspiring stories, as
well as "Driftwood", his beautiful poetry list. He even has a "Junior
Ripplemaker" page, for kids who make a difference! Join his lists now at: www.ripplemaker.com!
Angels on Earth - Beautiful site about angels, both heavenly and
earthly. Send in your stories of angelic encounters, or subscribe to this inspiring list! http://www.eaglecreek.org/angel/
OhAngel.com! Our partner and sister site, OhAngel is designed by
Super Woman, Anne Goodrich and has hundreds of free inspirational and angel ecards! Sign up for OhAngel's Wings of Prayer list too! www.ohangel.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
2THEHEART-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
