UPDATE!!!

Hey guys!

I know this update is a little early, but there will be another one on Sunday. (I will try to do them on Sunday's but if there is something important, I will get it to you right away).

First the important stuff:

There is a young boy I am mentoring (with the Coming Home Network) and his name is Spencer. He is 16 years old and interested in joining the Catholic Church. He is Baptist and his girlfriend is very Charismatic Evangelical. They both want to join the Catholic Church (and I was surprised when I found out they were 16, I thought they were in their 20's with how mature and how much they know).

Well, to sum it up, I copied part of his email to me, so I am sharing it with you so that you can pray for him and his girlfriend. His parent's said he can do what he wants when he turns 18, but until then, he must stay Baptist.

Also, a little update on finances. If you remember from the last email, I need about $4,200 for the entire school year. Well, I had to cut a trip or two out so now its down to $4,107 for the school year. But, if my calculations are right, then my scholarship has increased to the FULL $2,000!!! This means I won't need $2,000 for school in the spring! I am having this checked out by Financial Aid next week. So please keep that in your prayers!

If the scholarship has increased, then I need $2,107, but I have already raised $650 from personal donations! I am still hoping to raise more funds to cover the rest for this ministry! Great things are happening at LU this year!

There is more I could tell you, but I will wait until Sunday. Have a great weekend!!!
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From Spencer:

Let's just start with the bad news. Apparently Melissa's parents either hacked her email or checked her search history in depth. They found out that she is studying the faith, and they absolutely lost it. Her Internet is for now completely gone, and she can't see me much for a while because they think I'm brainwashing her to believe what I do about the Church. This is of course completely untrue, as she and I have talked many times about how while we share a faith journey, it's still our own personal decisions that started it. Her parents (especially her mom) have come down on her hard. They're treating her study of the Catholic church like a sin in itself. Her mom actually told her this morning that she had better confess this to God and before the church, and that they no longer trust her. They're also making her attend all these extra services and studies out of nowhere to try to push themselves on her. It's a really bad situation, and I'm at a loss for what to do. I know she shares our faith, but as long as they pay her bills, she's quite literally under their thumb. She needs all the prayers she can get right now. I don't believe she'll lose her faith and love of the Church, but i know the next few weeks and months are just going to get harder and harder.

I'll keep you guys informed.

-Spencer