Thursday, April 29, 2010
Dear Friends,
There is so much going on at CROSSFIRE these days, it is difficult to keep up with all of it! We are already busy planning summer camps, trips, and activities for the kids at the LION’S DEN center, while trying to keep them focused on the last few weeks of school so they can finish strong. I have to admit that I have spring fever and am as ready for school to be out as the kids are!
We are also continuing construction on our new LIGHTHOUSE residential facility for kids in crisis. A recent movie that has gotten a lot of attention is ‘The Blindside.’ Some of you may have seen it. It is based on a true story of a family that adopted an inner city teen. One of my favorite scenes in the movie takes place right after the young man has moved into the family’s home and the mom/wife is getting a bedroom ready for the teen. As she is busy putting everything in order, the boy is looking around, touching the soft linens on the bed, and watching in amazement. Finally, he says, ‘I’ve never had one before.’ The mom, a little distracted and still busy getting things ready, says, ‘What? You’ve never had a room of your own?’ The boy answers, ‘I’ve never had a bed.’ The woman stops abruptly, looks at him, folds her arms, and quietly says, ‘Well, now you do.’
That is a very poignant scene to me because I have been there…busy getting a room ready for a kid who, not only has never had a room of his own, but has never even had a bed. And I am very familiar with the tone of resolve, compassion, and determination in the woman’s voice when she says, ‘Well, now you do.’ When kids move into the LIGHTHOUSE, they often come with just the clothes on their back or perhaps with a backpack. None of them have ever lived in situations where they got 3 healthy meals a day, or sat around the dinner table in the evenings with their family talking about the day’s events. Some of them have never decorated a Christmas tree in their home or had a birthday party in their honor.
I could go into some real tear-jerker, shocking stories of how unfamiliar these kids are with what you and I would consider ‘normal operating procedure’ for a household, family, or life! But space and time prohibit that for now. The point is, that scene from the movie is the purpose of the LIGHTHOUSE – for the kid who says, “I’ve never lived in a home where I ate 3 healthy meals a day and said a blessing around the dinner table.” OR “I’ve never lived in a peaceful environment where I felt safe.” OR “I don’t know what it feels like to be treated with respect and unconditional love.” OR “I’ve never had anyone expect excellence and success from me.” OR “I’ve never had anyone to take me to the dentist.” OR “I haven’t lived in a family that expected me to be aware of current events in the nation and world, and taught me how to be a responsible citizen.” OR “I’ve never gone to church on Sundays.” OR “I don’t know how to make up a bed because I’ve never had one before.” OR “I never expected to stay alive till my 18th birthday.” OR “I never saw myself graduating from high school or going to college.” OR “I never thought I could get clean and sober.” OR “I never saw myself as anything more than a street thug and gangster.” OR “I’ve never had new tennis shoes or nice clothes.” OR “I’ve never lived in a place that didn’t have roaches crawling on everything.” OR… a hundred other ‘nevers’ that I have heard from young people. The purpose of the LIGHTHOUSE is to say to them with compassion and determination, “Well, now you do.”
There will be many people to thank in the coming months when the LIGHTHOUSE is completed, but I want to thank a few people and organizations without whom we could never have even begun. I won’t go into specifics now on their contributions of time, money, resources, skills, etc. – I will do more of that later. But for their investment in getting this project to its current stage I want to thank Randy Heady, Hillview Christian Ministry, PSH Foundation, The Constantin Foundation, Trinity Church of Dallas, Ben Nothrop, Sarah Lowe, Nancy Underwood, Ned and Lane Fleming, and all of the Crossfire Board of Directors. There will be a time and place for many more individuals, businesses, and organizations to be thanked publicly for helping us get this vision completed – but for now I especially want to thank those who believed in this vision more than two years ago, and enabled us to get the project off the ground. Thank you for believing, even through some tough economic times, that the new LIGHTHOUSE could actually happen! Thank you for helping me to continue believing in this vision, and reminding me that our Father is faithful to fulfill His promises.
We still need funding to finish the interior of the new LIGHTHOUSE and get it operational for kids in crisis, so if you want to be one of those who says to them, “Well, now you do,” then send your financial gift and note “LIGHTHOUSE” on the check.
The CROSSFIRE website has recently been updated – www.crossfirekids.com – so check it out! We are entering the blogosphere! On the website you will see a place to click and open the blog where we have begun posting news and pictures on a regular basis. Also, any of you who prefer the convenience of online donating, a ‘DONATE’ button has been added that will enable you to do so through PayPal. I am trying to enter this new decade by catching up with technology! We’ll see how that works out!
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
Lanell Armstrong