If you are going to get involved in the lives of gang members, prepare for both heartbreak and happiness...

...Jesus calls himself the Door. But he may appear in other guise to the oppressed. Mahatma Gandhi expressed it this way, "There are people in the word so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread." Set adrift by abandonment, rejected and abused youth first tie up to God at the moorings of a listening counselor, and Jesus smiles. There are gang members so desperate for employment that Jesus first appears to them as a job. And he is delighted to do so. Jesus is the Door, but he doesn't mind using squeaky hinges or a noisy knocker to point the Way.

Our spiritual hope for each man is that he gives his heart to the eternal joy and service of Christ. But we celebrate success if he keeps his job and stays away from crime and violence. There is joy in seeing him marry the mother of his children or purchase a home for his family. He may not now give thanks to the Savior, but he will never forget that walking into a church of Jesus Christ completely changed his life. When a grateful Thongkham was asked to speak at our annual banquet, he thought about it for a week, and then replied, "I owe it to Hope Now and to the men who come after me." Thongkham was remarkably articulate from a grateful heart. Unfortunately, however, forgetting to be grateful to Jesus seems to be a more common experience for youth helped by Hope Now. This ingratitude reminded me of Luke 17:11-19, which I applied to gang members...

...Hope Now believes that God is fulfilling his promise: "They shall be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord, for the display of his splendor." (Isaiah 61:3) So we continue to strive for excellence, and invite you to join us. Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical and expecting more than others think is possible. With the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, truly all things are possible. Together then let us present this glorious Lord a thank offering of 1,000,000 ex-gang members lifted from 100,000 streets of 10,000 neighborhoods in 1,000 cities of America. Be assured that Jesus will never forget our grateful service. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him" (I Corinthians 2:9).

<< Previous Chapter