Long Ago . . . .

Fifty-one years ago, Lynn Ann and I boarded a worn out school bus in Abilene, Texas, and headed for New Jersey - a place the two of us never dreamed we'd go to spend a year making a difference in the lives of inner-city kids.  It was New Jersey or Bust! for just over 50 very idealistic young people. Except for our bus driver, Al, none of us knew anything about what we were getting ourselves into. That year, from August '71 to August '72, however, set us on the journey we're still on today. 

Simply put, we fell in love with a group of young urban children, and we never looked back. After our year was up, we wanted to stay. But the program we were with was slowly closing down, and we had no support to try and continue by ourselves.

After 2 years back in El Paso, Texas, my sister & brother-in-law, Dusty & Bill joined together with Lynn Ann and me to return to NJ to start ASLAN YOUTH MINISTRIES and work with those same children we'd had to leave behind a couple of years before. With almost no promised support from anyone, it was a miracle we lasted a week here - much less 47 years! Now at the age of seventy-four and seventy-three years old, we are still here. 

Nearly all of you who are reading this are aware of the countless lives changed through ASLAN. Now more than ever, we need your help. Please sponsor Lynn Ann and me as we do the 5K portion of Beauty & The Beach. Whatever you can give, give. You will be making an eternal difference in a child's life.

Pictured above are some of our Summer Camp children with red raspberries they picked to turn into healthy, delicious juice!