The teenage boys I minister to each week are open and teachable. Well... most of them are. If I told you there are times when I deal with a hard case I really don't think you would be surprised. A couple Monday nights ago I had one of those "hard cases."

We began our usual Bible study and Darrel sat way over to the left of everyone else and was pretty disconnected from the group. I didn't know him. Darrel had been admitted to the detention center and assigned to my unit just days before. I knew this about him though... he looked mad, uninterested, hardened and a little intimidating.

A few minutes in to our study I looked at Darrel and told him to slide over closer to the group and be a little more engaged with us. He did what I said but he wasn't a very "happy camper" if you know what I mean. During the study I asked a question that I wanted everyone to answer. Darrel's turn to answer was just what I expected. He was continually staring at the floor and looked up and said, "I don't have an answer." I said, "It's no problem... keep thinking about it and I'll let you answer later." Obviously, this young man was carrying some heavy burdens. I'm for these guys... not against them. God has the power to change, convert and transform them. I closed in prayer and offered an invitation for any of the guys to accept Christ as their personal Savior. Four guys prayed to receive Christ. At the end of our Bible study Darrel and I had not connected in any way. At least that's what I thought. I was about to find out how unbelievably wrong I was in thinking this way.

After our closing prayer I thanked the guys for their attention and closed my Bible. Darrel looked up at me from across the room and said, "Are you leaving right away?" I said I would hang around a few minutes if anyone wanted to talk." Darrel grabbed his chair and darted over to me and pulled up under a table. I sat down and just looked at him. He leaned forward and looked straight into my eyes and said, "I need to be saved. Can you please tell me how to be saved? Can you show me from the Bible how a person gets saved?" I said, "You know... I think I have a minute or two!" As I began to read the passages of scripture he put his finger on the pages of my Bible and touched each word as I read it. I offered to pray with him and he prayed and asked Jesus Christ to save him from all of his sin and he became a child of God. But there is more.

On my way out of the detention center I ran into one of the directors of the center and told this story to her. She was completely shocked. She kept saying, "Are you sure you are talking about Darrel? Darrel said those things to you?" Then she told me that out of 100 boys in the center he is the "hardest and most difficult." Then she said, "Ken, this is a miracle. Ask any staff member in this center who is the most difficult boy here and they will tell you it is Darrel."

I truly hope this story excites you and motivates you in your own relationship with God. He can reach the hardest one of a hundred men. When I saw Darrel the other day, he was smiling and vibrant. He told me he is reading the Bible and praying every day.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support of this vital ministry to troubled youth!

Sincerely,

Ken Turner