Take a Walk with Me

Take a walk with me. You are on the streets of South Rockford and you are a 12-year-old living at poverty level. Your hair is a mess. Your clothes are messy and dirty.

School is over for today. You don’t have money to go bowling, to the movies, or have a gym membership. At home, you hear screaming and yelling. The adults in your life who should have your back constantly put you down, and are high or drunk and violent. Your “home” is not a safe place.

What do you do? You go and walk the streets, looking for something, anything to do to take up the time until you HAVE to go back home.

As you pass people, you get looks from them. Looks of pity or fear. You don’t understand because all you want to do is be a kid.

You look for people who will have your back. You feel pain and want to get rid of that pain. So, you turn to drugs and/or alcohol like the adults in your life do. This is what you see, what you know.

Next thing you know, you are hanging with the wrong crowd. The crowd who says, “Hey, let’s go rob store X.” You are looking for acceptance. Acceptance from anyone, so you go along. You and five other people go in to the store. One of them has a gun and pulls it out on the store clerk. You get away with the crime. So you think! A few days later you are questioned by the police and the next thing you know, you have a record.

This story is a true story, but it doesn’t end there. When we found out about this situation and learned who one of the kids was, two staff members went to see the teen at their school. He didn’t know we were coming. The school was gracious because they know of Rock House Kids and appreciate the help we give to the community.

The teen was brought into a conference room and saw us. He didn’t’ know what to do. He looked embarrassed. You see he had not been at Rock House Kids because he was sent away to a foster home. When we asked him if he knew why we were there he said, “No.”

Instead of coming down on him and telling him how disappointed we were, we told him we were there because we love him and know what he had gotten himself into.

After spending some time with him, he broke down. We found out he was now living in a place where he would be able to attend RHK again. We made him promise he would come back to Rock House Kids. He did promise and kept it.

He had to deal with the consequences of his actions but he knew we at Rock House Kids would walk with him through the process.

He deserved forgiveness, grace, and especially love. Just as Christ gives to each and every one of us.

Ephesians 1:7 states: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

You might be asking yourself “How I can help?”

Become a Mentor: Come in once a week to help guide and show unconditional love to kids who are searching for love in all the wrong places.

Donate: whether it is financially, by providing meals, or helping supply our monthly needs.

Pray, Pray, Pray! We are calling all prayer warriors to stand in the gap for our young people. Pray for their protection. Pray for their hearts and minds to soften towards Christ who is the true love they are looking for.

If you would like more information about Rock House Kids, please call our office Monday – Friday; 9:00 – 3:00. Schedule a tour so you can see how we are serving the inner-city children for the Lord.