We’ve all heard that teen suicides are at epidemic
proportions, and if you’re living anywhere near the “Rez” you know that
suicides among Navajo teens are at super epidemic proportions. It’s a ministry area we’re deeply interested
in, and indeed our pastor/counselor, Milt Shirleson, our Navajo radio
announcers, and many more have been addressing this in their ministries.
This weekend, however, it took on a new reality, as a local Gallup
boy and a boy whose father has been associated with our mission in the past,
decided to take his own life. The boy, Andrew, was 18 years old, a senior in
high school, and from all accounts a “good” kid—someone that my kids hung out
with, liked, and maybe even respected. He had worked as a wrangler at our local
Christian camp—a position of some importance where he was being discipled to work
as a “counselor” where he then would be responsible to disciple younger boys. While
he was not working there this summer, my kids saw him there last Thursday night
where he shared a song of praise he had written. According to Anna it was “very nice.”
His death has hit the kids around here hard. I see Facebook
post after Facebook post of kids crying for hours. There were many tears at
church yesterday—and it’s not even his home church! I can’t imagine what their
church service was like but have heard it was very sad, and very real. I have to admit it has hit me pretty hard too.
. . suicide always happens to someone else, someone who lives, as we said in
Phoenix, on the other side of the tracks. Yet this one happened to someone we
know and love, and someone who, at least from the outside, did all the right
things. . . someone who is just like us. . . and it reminds me that the Devil
is not selective about who he targets. . . or perhaps more accurately he
targets us too. . .targets our children. He wants to see us fail, give up,
think there’s no hope for our lives and for the lives of our children.
Please pray for us, and for our children as we wade through
this, and point them back to a God of redemption, a God who has a plan for
them, a God who loves them so much He sent His Son to die for them. I’ve heard that suicide is something that
often reproduces itself as Satan continues his campaign of making our youth
feel hopeless, depressed, and worthless. Please pray for the youth leaders in
Gallup, for the parents, and for our youth. Pray especially that they’ll see
the God who loves them so very much, and cling to Him in their sorrow.
