A few weeks ago, one of our students came up to me and said, “Hey, do you remember when you had to call my mom because I was being mean to people?” I did remember. It was four years ago, but it felt like forever. He’s a whole different kid now. Then he thanked me. Back then, almost all that people could see was a kid who was acting out and making bad choices. What they didn’t know at the time was how much he was actually struggling. When we called his parents and told them he couldn’t come back for a week, he was really mad. That moment ended up being a bigger deal than I realized. It made his parents take a closer look, and honestly, it kicked off a long season of him getting in trouble at home because of poor choices and learning things the hard way. When he finally came back, he said he expected it to be weird. Like we’d treat him differently or like he’d messed up too badly. Instead, we welcomed him back like he’d never left. Now, years later, he told me he’s grateful we stopped him when we did. At the time, it felt unfair to him, but now he sees it as being loved enough for someone to step in instead of ignoring it. Scripture says, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” [Romans 5:8]. Loving students this way is a small reflection of Christ’s love for us… Love that doesn’t wait for someone to first get it together!

SARA VASSALLO,  71Five Campus Coordinator – Central Point

(541) 816-6761 | sara@71Five.org

“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB