I thought we lost him...

We have been doing Teen Ministry for 4 years now. When we started, we had anywhere from 30-40 teens that came. Over the years those original teens have been in and out of coming. Some are older and adults now. But there were a few, specifically one boy, who I will call Gerard, who left about 2 years ago and hasn't come back. He still lives in John DeShields, but quit coming to Teen Ministry. He and I had some run ins because from the beginning he had a disrespectful attitude. He was on the verge of getting kicked out until he could show to us that he would be respectful. I also know that I had some growing to do when it came to handling problems that came up with Gerard. There were a few times that I got very frustrated with him and it came out towards him. I later apologized, hoping that maybe he would want to come back. But, he still stayed away. A few months ago, when I began going to the neighborhood center that all the kids attend after school, I began seeing Gerard almost every week. I would just sit on the bench and watch the teens play basketball and he was one of them. If he would make a goal, I would cheer for him or make eye contact with him. He began to say hi to me in a respectful way, where before if I saw him in John DeShields, he would barely look at me. As the weeks went on, one day I walked into the center and he walked right up to me and gave me a hug. Usually if there were any hugs given, it would be me giving one to him. He continued to do this every time he saw me. Wow, I was in shock! I could see that God was beginning to slowly work on his heart. Periodically I would tell him about Teen Ministry and invite him, but he never showed up. But, last Friday he came! He was kind, respectful and had a lot of fun. Towards the end of the night, I walked up to him and said, "I'm so glad you're here." He responded with a smile and said, "I'll be coming again." This past Monday, as the two boys who I take to school got in my car, Gerard saw them and asked if he could have a ride. I of course said yes! I couldn't believe it! I am just sitting back and watching God work on this kid, and it's amazing. It's like he has changed over night. Thank you God for bringing him back to us.