My Bad Dream Comes True

So I've sometimes had this bad dream that I'm walking around the neighborhood, late at night, and I run into one of my students. I never know what to say because what if they ran away from home, or if they got kicked out? What if they become my responsibility? I'd probably ask, but not want to know...

So it finally happened tonight. It was bound to. One of my7th graders had gotten kicked out of his home in Mission Park. I walked around the corner, and there he was.

Liu: What are you doing out so late?
Student: (Chinese) I got kicked out by my mom.

A hundred thoughts flashed through my mind before I decided... I couldn't leave him out there, could I? That's why I invited him to help me do laundry and stay the night. Yes, I took all the precautions necessary to protect myself from accusations-- he wrote down a statement and signed it; I informed two other people that he was there.

It's so wrong that a parent would kick their kid out. No matter how bad he is. I know this kid, he's no piece of cake to deal with-- probably one of the tougher cases we've had in my school since I've been there. But to kick him out of the house?! When he's this young? It's not right. How, now, do I share the love of Christ with him-- I'm involved, afterall.