Well, the Lord must have read my diary last night! Soon after I got up this morning, Barb called me.

"Jeanne, I have a name and a number for you. Her name is Arlene, she's made two attempts to commit suicide, and she's very upset and considering a third try. I told her that the reason she is still alive is because God has a plan for her life, and has given her another chance. Her whole attitude changed from that point. But I have a meeting downtown, and I'm so afraid she'll try to kill herself she was very, very upset. Could you give her a call in 15 or 20 minutes? I hate to leave you with an assignment like this, but…”

"Lord," I thought, "You know I shrink from things like this.”

"Sure, Barb, I'll do it.”

I prayed for wisdom and committed myself to the Lord to be used as His instrument and mouthpiece and dialed the number. A very shaky, small, tearful voice answered. I explained who I was and she said, "Oh, yes. Barb seem so nice.”

"How are you?" I asked genuinely.

From that point she really opened up. She said that she felt much better and went into the things that upset her. I just listened and asked questions. It became apparent that the problems stemmed from her relationship with her husband.

She began with, "I want to have children so bad, and he don't he wants a 1974 Cadillac. I I want someone to love and to need me and right now there's absolutely no one. If I could have a little baby to take care of and I wouldn't have to worry about a baby going off with his friends. I baby sit for my sister's children a lot and they really love me."

She added, "My father say he's glad my husband left me, because I'm just like my mother trying to get everything he makes. But I don't see it like that.”

"I'd be happier without my husband if I had children--my mom and us were happier when my father left. He was so mean. Men are so cruel. Really we get along better without them there's no room in our lives for them."

I could relate to that.

She kept saying, "I do wrong. He's always right and I'm always wrong. He says he's going to heaven and he knows I’m going down."

She explained that he grew up in Georgia in a shack with no electricity and running water, and now he wants good furniture, and he won't go to the doctor, marriage counselor, or even church because it costs money. He won't treat her right if she doesn't work and help him get his car. But she didn't graduate from high school got married when she was sixteen, and she can only get poor paying factory work. She's 19 now. He has a girlfriend.

Arlene said, "I feel like an object. I'm taken down off the shelf and used and put back when he's finished. As far as companionship nothing. He goes out with his friends and girlfriend. I'm treated worse than a hamster or a car."

Every once in a while she would stop and say, "Am I bothering you with my problems? I don't want to bother you after all you have problems too."

She really listened to the things I said about the Lord and how he wanted her marriage to be. She said over and over "I wish I could help people with their problems like you and Barbara."

I gave her name to Brother Ginyard of the Chapel and he's going to try to get with both of them for marriage counseling. Lord, I pray that You will go ahead of him and prepare or make a way into the lives of Arlene and her husband. Lord, I pray that You would cause this meeting to take place between them if it's vital and helpful.

She called me up later and told me she was going to her grandmother's farm near Boston to get away for a while. She said eagerly and fondly, "There'll be cows, chickens, and pigs,” like she was clinging so desperately to the comfort of this idea. She said she'd call me before she left tomorrow night, so…

Larry and I went to see Jerry in the hospital this afternoon he's a 21 year old contact made by Delores, that she's worked with constantly. He's just had difficulty in getting any kind of victory in his Christian life. We had a very healthy talk with him. He was able to admit to us that his big temptation was women, and Larry and I were able to share specific ways to avoid it. That's a hard thing to overcome but God has the power to break the chain.

I really appreciate Larry. He’s quiet and friendly, a nice looking guy. He went straight to work after graduating from high school. And I think his parents have divorced and remarried, but that instability doesn’t reflect in him. He’s always on such an even keel. He’s really good at fixing things too! He comes from the Lancaster area. He assumes leadership in situations, he takes initiative with reaching out to kids and he spends time playing with the little guys on the street.

Wednesday night, Sooty and some of the little guys tried to push their way into the center. Larry'd been doing street work all day. He was tired and when the kids wouldn't stop pushing, he picked Sooty up and threw him out the door and all the other little guys with him.

Sooty's pretty good sized for his age. He hurt his leg, called Larry a bastard, and said, "You didn't have to hurt me!" and added, "Come here, I wanna fight you!"

Larry just said, "Next time you'll listen," and shut door. He was upset with himself and rather uncommunicative the rest of the evening. Not like Larry at all. So tonight he was walking on the street and Sooty came up and started walking along side him. Larry said, "Hey, Sooty, I wanna apologize for losin' my temper getting rough the other night."

Sooty said, "That's all right, you don't have to, but I want to say I'm sorry for cussin' at you."

Greg went out to life guard at camp this week. He initiated the suggestion and followed through. Barb was kind of upset because someone stole Greg's $100 record player today and she thinks it was Donald. Ronald St. Claire saw him with a record player. Also she thinks Donald may have stolen the checks this week hers, the food check, and all the summer staff's checks. Donald hasn't been here for three days.