Due date for summer staff arrival. The Lord woke me up early to pray and read His Word this morning. As usual, I prayed for the problems, and needs, and temptations, and spiritual growth of Ronnie and Frostie.

Ruth, a summer staff member from Dort College was here when I got up.

Ronnie was just beautiful today. He spent the weekend at Wayne's house, but was back by 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning to go to Church. The reason I know is he called around that time to ask Delores to take them to the Park this afternoon.

Avis and Jackie came with Barb to church today. Ronnie and Frostie sat through the whole service without once getting up and going out! As Ronnie was going out the door, Matt Gallashaw came up, gave him a firm handshake and asked, "You look like I know you what's your name?"

"Ronnie uh, Ronald Williams."

I felt it necessary to explain and put my arm around him, “This is one of Barb's sons he lives at 20th Street."

Matt looked at him seriously. "Are you a Christian, son?

"Yes," Ronnie answered immediately.

"How do you know?" Matt flashed at him. That shook him up a little.

"I jus' do because, well about a year ago, I received Christ as my personal Saviour," Ronnie got the words out, after he recovered.

Matt kept a grip on his hand."Listen, I want to get together with you. I know the guys at 20th Street. And we have a lot of young people's activities going on here I'd like to see you come to some.”

He talked to him for quite a little while. Praise the Lord! I think that would be fantastic if Matt Gallashaw connected with Ronnie and Frostie!

Wanda Smith was at church today. She's looking for a summer job, until she goes back to Taylor in the fall, and wants to stay at Teen Haven.

"Of course I'd like to stay with Ronnie and Frostie," she said, taking Ronnie's hand and playfully punching him in the cheek.

Barb told me that Ronnie and Wanda used to be really close while she was on staff last year.

"I don't blame you," I said. Ronnie just flashed a smile and dropped one eye in a little wink. He asked me for my church bulletin. Every time he goes to church he saves the picture leaf and puts it in his Bible.

Ronnie came back with us to Broad Street. Oh, yes, he actually asked Barb's permission to come over to our building let her know. He still sits with his knee up against mine in the car or at the table it's so natural and unconscious. His Uncle Teddy gave him a cute little black kitten from his cat's litter. Barb agreed to it, but she wasn't overjoyed. Tiny little thing sleeping on his bed. Also told me he felt sorry for the old gentlemen who sang a solo in church today all the other kids were laughing and snickering. At Broad Street he played ping pong with Ruth and used his right hand, “to cut her some slack.” He actually asked the grace on the food! Now that was a blessing. Then he learned how to play chopsticks in a duet with me at the piano. He caught on really well and kept on going, even if he made a mistake. I think he was proud to get a tune out of the piano.

Right before he left, he said, “C'mon, Jeanne. Let's play chopsticks before I go.”

This evening we went to hear Reverend Drury speak at Olney Presbyterian Church, and afterwards had the summer staff get acquainted party at our house. Martha Beach arrived just before we left for church. She's a sophomore at Taylor University.

It’s hard for me to distill this section of writing. A lot of it makes me cringe – so how “fun” will it be for someone else to read? I’ve gone through and softened things a bit – but then I think to myself, “Am I editing the life out of stuff?” And I don’t know. I want the reader to be blessed- not just read through a bunch a painful material, my doubts, my sense of inadequacy, my lack of participation - but I don’t want to misrepresent myself either. It’s hard going through this material. It’s kind of like digging for gold. I hit a rich vein when I first started writing, but now I’m afraid I’m in poorer soil – where you have to sift through a whole lot of material to get a little bit of precious stone. Things that other people would want to read, in other words. And I wonder, all this stuff yet to go through – what if there isn’t anything worth sharing?

You can tell my Dad was a mining geologist. And, on the positive side, this book could wind up being real short!

Maybe the thing to do is leave the interesting but embarrassing untouched? And interject my comments from my present perspective? Would be one way to approach organizing the material into a story. Start out in my present situation and pull back to the present where ever it advances the “story.” Whatever that is.