How It All Went Down

So my iPod got stolen. Out of the back of the church. (Actually it is the church's old iPod that Tim Cressman used to use but I have been using it since finding it in his old office.) I brought it and hooked it up to my computer speakers to play some music after Tuesday Night Bible Study while we all hung out in the foyer. I had a playlist with some Kirk Franklin, Relient K, Cross Movement, and other good diverse stuff set up. But three kids, Michaela, Misty, and Chris, wandered into the church. I introduced myself to them, found out their ages, and told them that they were the age group that should come back on Wednesday Night for the Kid's Club. Then they left but they came back and were sitting on the stairs. I asked them what they were doing and Chris said that they wanted to listen to the music. I told them that if they wanted to listen to music they needed to come into the sanctuary. So they came in but a few minutes later they left and this time did not return. When I went out in the foyer later, my iPod was gone. Aaron knew where Misty lived so we went to her house a stone's throw from the church. She said Chris stole it and took us to Chris' house. Chris denied it and his older siblings that were smoking and stuff on the couch watching TV didn't help me out at all. The next day I called Michaela because I had her number since she had filled it out to get a free copy of Revolution In World Missions. Michaela confirmed that Chris stole my iPod but said that he traded it to another guy for a knife. (Gotta love friends who trade knives.) So I went back to Chris' house and this time got to talk to his mother and she was helpful but said that she searched his room and could not find it. I told her I had heard he traded it for a knife and she said she did find and knife and confronted her kid who had lied to all of us all along who finally admitted to stealing it but said he had traded it away. Chris' Mom took down my number to call me if Chris was able to get it back. Then today Aaron Gatza told me that he knew the kid who had traded to get the iPod but that the kid had sold it to someone else. So who knows where it is now....

The iPod can only be re-charged on my computer for some strange reason (Bill and Randy can attest to the fact that they could not get it to re-charge) so when it runs out of batteries it will be no good to anyone but me. So I can't even be consoled thinking that maybe the kid who ends up with it will start rolling through town listening to my Jesus music. He will probably throw it out. Unless he beats up the kid that sold it to him or something.... Maybe it will find it's way back to Chris and then Chris' mother will call me. Maybe not.

That's okay, it is still well with my soul either way. My heart goes out to these kids that steal and trade knives though. It is not well with their soul. I hope that they change (ie. meet Jesus) before it's too late and that they realize that their history and upbringing so far is not determinative but rather is simply the context from which they will have to work from.