Dylan* and Olivia* had been high school sweethearts. Dylan first met Olivia at a teen ministry event in Westchester, N.Y. Not willing to give his heart or body away until marriage, Dylan kept mostly to himself at his public high school. When he met Olivia, all his defenses came down. He met a sweet and godly girl his own age who shared his commitment to God. That was powerful to him. They had fun and got to know each other as they enjoyed bible study and fun activities at Church.
Dylan had been quite depressed in his first six months of high school. A lot had happened the summer before that freshman year. His beloved grandfather had passed away and at the same time, his best christian friend, Sebastian had moved with his family to Atlanta. He took both events quite hard. Everyone noticed this: his parents, teachers and pastor. They all tried to reach out to assist Dylan, but to no avail. His parents were quite distressed. They met privately with their Pastor to discuss the problem further. Pastor Bob* recommended a local teen ministry at another church. It was a place where parents from many small local churches brought their teenagers to develop faith and fellowship.
After many months of negotiating and pressure from his parents he agreed to attend a bowling event at a nearby alley. He had not had much social activity since starting the ninth grade. He was half looking forward to it. He was pleasantly surprised that evening when he seemed to hit it off with everyone in his assigned bowling team. Justin* helped everyone with their bowling technique, Malik* was the team comic, and Olivia was full of encouragement.
Before the end of the evening, the teen minister introduced himself to Dylan and had issued a personal invitation for Dylan to attend next weeks' bible study. To Dylan's surprised, he really wanted to go. He accepted that invitation immediately. When he arrived at the bible study, the following week, he was again befriended by the same group that he had met while bowling. They did a study from the Book of Ruth and the Youth Pastor spoke about the many trials that Naomi had experienced causing her to become bitter. Dylan felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he related to the trials and tribulations of Naomi.
There was a lot in the story of Naomi that lined up with Dylan's recent experiences of death and loss. The Pastor encouraged discussions on this topic at each table. Malik spoke first and told a story about the loss and depression which he had experienced when his grandmother got hit by a car two years ago. Malik continued, "in proverbs it says that a merry heart maketh good medicine," I joke around and try to follow God. I trust in him to get me through this!" Dylan was encouraged by Malik's story and felt safe and ready to share his own story. He didn't feel alone anymore.
As the months and years went by, he found fellowship and fun at the new teen ministry. His friendships grew with Justin and Malik but, especially with Olivia. They talked on the phone and encouraged one another in school and with their christian walk. It was clear to their families that Dylan and Olivia had feelings for each other. Dylan's family thought he was to young to date, while Olivia's family was glad that she was interested in dating a boy that she met at bible study. It was time for the families to meet. They choose the coffee social after a Sunday service.
Next week- the story of Dylan continues.
*the story is true but the names have been changed and a few events to keep privacy. It is concordant with the original story.
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