Dear Aunt Claudine and family,

How are you? Thank you for writing your "book"--it was good to hear from you. How was your Thanksgiving? I went to New York to see Grandma, and Grandpa Renzetti, and Aunt Joan, Uncle Tom, and Anna. It was really nice.

Life stays interesting here! Friday night Ronnie came back. He had been living at Teen Haven before for about two months, last spring; and then, because he couldn't accept a disciplinary measure from Barb, he walked out. This was at the beginning of the summer. I remember being introduced to him, Greg, and Frostie, during Summer Staff training week. Anyway, he was totally out of the picture for three or four months--and then he suddenly dropped back in. He really is a disarming little fellow. He's only 14 years old, and last year on his way home from school, he was stabbed by a guy from a gang and ended up in the hospital with a punctured lung. He's from 25th and Diamond, which is known for its roughness. He's just been kind of living around with no stable family situation. His mom has moved. He said in a rap session one night, "Y'know, if I should just happen to bump into my father sometime, I think I'd punch him in his face."

Last Saturday began three really harrowing days for me. Saturday night Barb left to go home for a few days and left me with the center and the responsibility of getting Frostie (17, Donald (20), and Ronnie (14), to church, to school, and to work. That may sound fairly simple and routine--but not with these kids, I found out. When Barb left so did all the restraints.

3:30 Sunday morning I woke up to hear guys' voices laughing, the ping-pong ball bouncing, and the pool sticks hitting. Opening one eye, I saw my clock and the time! I stumbled downstairs. There were our guys plus several of their friends from the neighborhood.

Frostie snapped, "What you want!"

"Frostie," I said, "you can't have guys in here at 3:30 in the morning--besides, you've got to get to bed so you'll go to church tomorrow--today!"

Frostie just smiled, and came upstairs. "All right. You just go on back to bed." He patted my rump, "Go on, you just get your ass to bed." I went, thinking they would wind it up soon.

The next time I woke up it was 4:30. This time it was voices laughing, and chairs scraping above my head. My room was below the dining room. So I stumbled up the stairs and said, "Frostie, it's 4:30, now, c'mon!"

"Aw, go on to bed, girl!"

"I can't sleep."

At 6:00 in the morning the guys finally settled down. At 10:00 I dragged myself out of bed. "Frostie, Ronnie, get up! Delores will be here in an hour. C'mon, Barb'll be mad."

When I got back from church at 1:00, the guys were still in bed.

Sunday night it started all over. Frostie's friends finally left at 12:00 at my request. Then Donald announced,
"I'm gonna mop and wax the kitchen floor and dining room." Frostie said, "I'm gonna paint the downstairs kitchen."

I said, "That's great, fellas, but couldn't you wait until tomorrow?"

"No, we got it planned for tonight."

At 2:30 I gave up and went to bed hoping they'd get up for school and work tomorrow. At 4:30 I woke up to loud laughter in the 2nd floor bedroom. I laid there and thought, "You can ignore it...or you can keep them from completely falling to pieces." I got up. The guys' voices quieted down as they heard my footsteps.

"It is 4:30 in the morning! Donald, you have to go to work tomorrow and you two have to go to school. Now you go to bed!"

Frostie said, "Aw, you better stop tryin' to act like Barb! We ain' babies!"

I came back with, "If you weren't babies, you'd have more sense than to stay up this late, when you know you have to go to school tomorrow!"

Frostie said, "You better get your ass outa here!"

I said, "You watch your mouth!"

Donald said, "Frostie! What's the matter with you, man. Just don't say no more, Jeanne."

I wasn't exactly cool. I guess I was too mad and tired. I said, "If you guys don't straighten out, I'll have Doug come get you and take you to Susquehanna Teen Haven."

That was like putting a red flag in front of a bull.

"Go ahead!" Frostie said. "We ain' going nowhere."

"Oh, yes you will!"

"You better get your white ass outa here before I punch you in your face!"

I was so mad I just stared at him.

"Quit lookin' at me like you stupid!" Frostie said sharply.

He got up and slammed the door. Since I was standing in the room, it knocked me out of the room and across the hallway. I caught myself against the bannister. I was furious. I mean I was so mad I don't think my stomach unknotted after that for two days. I walked into the office, fully intending to call Doug at that hour. But Frostie's action had shocked everybody and put a damper on, and everybody went to bed. After a while so did I. Furious as I was, I discovered that I really cared about them--that they go to school and use their self-control. I stayed awake praying for love, grace strength, wisdom, and patience! God was really with me in that hour.

The next morning, I cheerfully coerced the guys out of bed. Monday was quite a day. The guys wouldn't get up at first. Ronnie lay there looking at me--he had been kind of a neutral agent, mostly. Things were new, and he didn't want to go against the guys, and he didn't want to go against the authorities. Anyway I walked over to him, and said, "Get up," and started to pull the cover off.

He grabbed it, and looked at me like I was attacking him. I realized he only had his drawers on. Poor kid, I embarrassed him.

After the guys left the house, I left for staff meeting. I was exhausted, and emotionally drained all that day. I had given Ronnie carfare to go to school--and asked if he wanted some to come back. He said yes, so I gave him that too. But all day long I wondered if that was the last I'd seen of him. I really wanted him to come back, and I was afraid he wasn't going to. I found out that Frostie didn't go to school.

After getting back from a Bible study--which only God gave me the strength to get through--I was sitting upstairs working. Gerald came running up the stairs.

"Frostie and Wine fightin' in the street!"

I went downstairs and outside. Sure enough there were Frostie and Wine dancing around with a crowd of guys egging them on. Two mothers were out on the street yelling, "Stop that fighting!" Gerald pushed me out the door and down the steps.

"Go make him stop," he said, like it was my duty.

Well, I didn't know what to do. But I did know that there would be trouble if someone called the police. I walked up to the crowd and called out, "Frostie, you better be cool. Someone's going to call the police!"

Sure enough a police van drove around the corner and stopped. The guys kind of melted away into houses, lots, and alleys. Frostie and Wine stopped boxing and moved down the street. Another cop car drove up and stopped. The policeman got out and yelled at the crowd, "All right, break it up!"

I caught up to Frostie as another car drove up.

"Come on, let's go to the center!"

"I'm gonna git him!"

I couldn't think of an answer to that, except to say, "Well get him when the police aren't around," and pray that he'd forget it. Frostie walked back with me.

Ronnie came in around 5:00 or 6:00, and I was glad.

And Doug, our field director, spent the night at my building! Even then I was still so wound up, I couldn't relax and go to sleep.

I don't think those guys were half so glad to see Barb come back as I was! But I was glad for the experience--and through it God has strengthened my love and concern for inner city young people--now that I've crashed against some of their problems head on!"

Love in Christ,
Jeanne