{"id":39218,"date":"2015-11-10T08:00:23","date_gmt":"2015-11-10T16:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/?p=39218"},"modified":"2017-10-22T13:14:00","modified_gmt":"2017-10-22T20:14:00","slug":"letters-to-dad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/letters-to-dad\/","title":{"rendered":"Letters to Dad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sam Riviera is a frequent and popular contributor to this blog. Many of his posts on loving your neighbors<\/a> and ministering to the homeless<\/a> are consistently among the most popular articles on this blog. As I type these very words, one of his articles about homeless people<\/a> has\u00a0received several thousand pageviews in just two days.<\/p>\n

Based on his many years of friendship with lots of homeless people in San Diego, Sam Riviera has learned the stories of several of them, and, with their permission, is writing their stories in the form of letters to their dads. These are the letters that they might have written to their dads.<\/p>\n

\"Letters<\/p>\n

Below is a brief explanation of the purpose of these letters, and some links to resources for you to learn more and get involved.<\/p>\n

What is the purpose of writing the Letters to Dad?<\/h2>\n

First of all, hopefully they will open the eyes of parents who are considering throwing out or abandoning their kids.<\/strong> Many parents do not know what life on the streets is going to be like for their kids. These letters will let them know.<\/p>\n

Many of these children will survive by selling their bodies.<\/p>\n

Many will become thieves.<\/p>\n

Many will become addicts.<\/p>\n

Some will never make it off the streets alive.<\/p>\n

Secondly, hopefully they will open the eyes of those who follow Jesus to what is happening across America to homeless and runaway teens.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Can we allow this to continue?<\/p>\n

Why are there so few temporary and even fewer long-term beds (shelters) for these kids? (The kids usually are not safe in adult shelters.)<\/p>\n

Do we have anything to say to \u201cChristian\u201d parents who are about to or already have thrown out their kids because they’re gay, on drugs, having sex or doing other things the parents do not accept?<\/p>\n

Religion and the Homeless<\/h2>\n

\"homelessOne tragic thing to note is that there is a significant relationship between religion and the homeless, runaway kids.<\/p>\n

Conservative Christian parents tend to throw out kids who go against their religious beliefs. Often the kids run away before their parents figure out the kid is gay, pregnant, using, a thief, etc. The kids are often afraid of how their parents will react. Sometimes they’re embarrassed or ashamed. Almost always they don’t want to talk to their parents about the \u201cproblem.\u201d<\/p>\n

If You Are a Parent…<\/h2>\n

This series of letters is not<\/em> intended to pile guilt on the parents of troubled teens. Instead, they hopefully serve as a reminder for all parents to:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Tell your children often that you will always love them, no matter what, and that they can always come to you with anything.<\/li>\n
  2. Do not judge the homeless person or drug addict we pass on the street. Some of them lived through hell at home before entering into the hell on the streets.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Goal of this Series<\/h2>\n

    I would love it if the series could open up the conversation nationwide and send kids and parents to those organizations that can help, regardless of where they are at in the continuum the letters will describe.<\/p>\n

    I would also love it if the series would result in more beds available nationwide for homeless and runaway kids in our country.<\/p>\n

    We believe in this cause, and have made provisions in our trust to fund homeless and runaway teen programs, especially those with dedicated beds. Maybe this series of letters will encourage others to do the same.<\/p>\n

    A List of all the \u201cLetters to Dad\u201d<\/h2>\n