An Update on L

It's been a while since I've done an update on my friend L. There has been a lot going on in his life of late. The big news is that a week ago Sunday he asked me to baptize him! Needless to say I did the big happy dance! We had talked some in the past about his church background and he was not real clear about how and where he had been as far as church was concerned, but he had done some checking and found out he had never been baptized, and told me he had come to a decision that he was ready to take that step. I asked him why, and he said, "Because I want to follow Jesus." Well, ok, I guess that is a pretty good reason! He said he has waited a bit because he was afraid some of his family members who are not Christians would be upset and also because he thought maybe people might think he was a "Jesus freak." But he says he has been praying about it a lot, and he doesn't care if people think that, and he knows that it is his decision and he hopes his family will accept that he is an adult who is making his own choices now. So we have set July 6th as the date and have begun to make our plans! Part of the service will push my congregation a bit, as he has requested a couple songs from DC Talk....and of course I said yes! So we will have a bit of praise music on the CD player instead of hymns on the organ. It's L's day!

On the practical front, he was granted an extension to stay at CH till July 1, and in the meantime he has found long-term housing in an adult residence here in town where he can have on-going support and structure while he continues to heal and deal with his ongoing legal and other issues. The director there is someone he knows from a past program he was involved with and likes and trusts. We had a scary time a week or so ago, as he needed to do some testing as part of the court-ordered program he is in, and he could not pay for it. If he did not have it done by July 1st there was a good chance that he would be sent back to jail. Well, the prayers were said and the word went out and an anonymous donor came forward with the $300 needed for the test fee. As soon as a the date is set, other folks will provide the two hour ride to the test site, and another blessing falls on L's head.

He is looking better than I have seen him in a while. He is drawing again! This is such good news, as that scared me more than anything when he was so depressed that he could not even do that. He is also manifesting his "goofy" side again. Being a big kid, acting silly, telling dumb jokes. So we are continuing to work on building his community, helping him know he is cared for and supported as we "build his village." And in a little over a month that village will have a whole new meaning as he becomes part of the Christian community in a new way and puts on Christ and becomes sealed as God's own forever. Fizzy?....oh yes, I am!