Last night was a crazy night between the amazing dust storm
that drove inside the Starbucks for our Job Life Skill Group, getting repeated
calls from one of my teens who called the police on his mom and brother, a text
that sent me over the edge and then the proverbial fight with a teen’s mom. I
am blessed to have some incredible friends who help me on the journey of
neighborhood life transformation.
As we were listening to my friend Marc share his journey of
growing up in an Italian home I keep getting a call from one of our more
obnoxious teens who usually just wants me to bring him food or ask for a ride.
I ignore the first couple of calls. Marc shares about his first couple of jobs,
college experience and then going to Asia and then Africa for 6 months. Most of
the teens were listening with their jaws wide open. After the 6th
call I know answer only to discover that this one teen feels threatened and he
calls the police. Now I continue to get a series of calls from him while I listen
to Marc’s journey from world traveler to world person who has a passion for
people, especially 3rd world people.
I tell my teen, who has now called 10 times, to wait for the
police, behave himself and just be honest with them. Another friend shows up
who had worked in San Francisco for the day and had flown back amid the
incredible dust storm and now shares his unusual upbringing as a kid that loved
technology and learned how to program at the age of 5. As James shares his
story he comes alive and the group starts to interact. I’m impressed and
humbled to really know James well and have a newfound respect for him.
Again, I continue to get calls from this teen. I said there
wasn’t anything I could do because of being in the middle of the class. As we
wrap up after James shares about his first job that wasn’t McDonalds or Taco
Bell because he was too young. He is asked by a neighbor to do a program for a
work project. He is able to do this quickly and clearly helps the neighbor and
earns some money. Wow, here we are
playing games about getting jobs and James rocked as a kid. Yet, his life
wasn’t great as he shares his struggle with his weight and health.
As we finish up the dust storm continues to wail and we
drive home amid the storm. I’m concerned about this one teen. Then I get a text
from another teen that is being blessed by her school to go clothes shopping
because she is in a tough situation with an unemployed mom who is often without
a residence also. A fight erupts because I had explained that I wanted another
adult to take her shopping to oversee the money being spent because it was a
loan from me that would then be reimbursed from the school. So any money spent
without a receipt I get the ‘eat’. This was not a great conversation. This mom had
just jumped all over me the night before when I was feeding both of her teens
dinner. I was just ticked at how I’m always the one getting screamed at but the
mom is incapable of admitting to her problems or apologizing to her teens and
me.
As this conversation is finishing I get a text from another
teen that ask a simple question. I had asked for all of the teens, which had
used laptops for the school year, to return them. The agreement was designed to
not show favoritism to any of the teens. As I ask this teen to get me the
laptop he proceeds to tell me he doesn’t have it. I ask the obvious questions
and then discover the Police or FBI has confiscated it during a SWAT Team
episode at his house. I had no idea what he was talking about. I explain how he
was responsible for the laptop and that his brother had no business using it.
He clearly is uncomfortable talking so I end up talking with his mom. I attempt
to explain that I’m more concerned about her and her son that a laptop.
As I’m listening I’m shocked to hear how this mom has been
treated. All of her belongings were taken and not returned. I feel for her but
ask the obvious, why didn’t you or your son at least tell me what had happened.
I want to help but I also want them to be responsible for property that isn’t
theirs. I thank her for talking and say good night. I text back her teen to
reassure him that everything is ok and am sorry for what happened.
As I pull back up in my driveway I’m thinking who in their
right mind would believe half of what I had just experienced. Then as I sit in
our kitchen my wife unloads another story about one of our teens that is a
Native American who has issues at his group home. Yeah, I would be crazy if
Jesus wasn’t in my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment