At about 8 PM on March 7, 2013. I received a phone call from a panicky grandmother of several children in our youth group.
The childrens’ mother had been a meth addict for several years… that afternoon, the mother and her meth supplier boyfriend broke into the grandmother’s house to steal anything they could, including the birthday presents ( Kindles, toys, etc ) I had given the children. they also stole the grandmother’s cash and debit card she had left at the house.
She was in a panic because she did not have the gas to pick up the children and take them home.
I agreed to meet them in Retta near the children’s daycare.
I met them at the Diamond Shamrock about 9 PM… all of the children were in the van and were very worried. Children always know more than adults think they know.
I gave the grandmother a couple hundred dollars for emergency cash and then proceeded to fuel up the van. While refueling the van, I kept the passenger side door open so I could talk with and calm down the 6 children inside the van.
Midway through the fill-up, little 5 year old B stuck her hand out of the van for me to hold, which I did. She just wanted assurance that things would be OK. I have been blessed to have all 6 children in my life for the ensuing 7 years and to have earned their love and trust.
Trust is a big item for all the high risk children I have worked with all these years.
They have had very little reason to trust any adult in their young lives and we work very hard to earn and keep that trust.