Chapter 29

As Ren and Isaac made it back to their dorm room, Isaac noticed that Ren was deep in thought. “Thinking about practice?” Isaac asked. “Actually, no, I was thinking about my mom. If I should call her,” Ren replied. “I think you owe to yourself and her to at least call her and let her know that you did not know she was trying to contact you all of those years,” Isaac shared. “I know. It is just tough to switch from hating someone for so long to contacting them like nothing ever happened,” Ren explained. “I don’t think you need to treat her like nothing ever happened. Just be open with her and see what she says,” Isaac responded. “How do I find her number?” Ren asked. “Let’s go from her address on the latest letter you received and do a reverse lookup,” Isaac suggested. Ren turned on his laptop, took a deep breath, and started the search. The address shown was in Chesterfield, Missouri. After a quick lookup on the map, he found that it was a suburb of St. Louis. Within moments, Ren was staring at his mom’s phone number on his laptop screen. “I don’t know if I can do this,” Ren said hesitantly. “You will be fine. Let’s pray first,” Isaac suggested. “Good idea,” Ren replied. “You start. I am still new to this whole thing,” Ren asked. “Praying is really easy. Just talk to God like you would me or a friend. He knows what you are going through and what you struggle with. Just talk to Him. If you are upset, you can yell at Him, pout, cry, or whatever; He just wants you to communicate,” Isaac explained. “Lord, we thank You for all of the blessings You give us every day. You know what Ren has been through this year and how he has learned about You recently. We ask for wisdom and guidance on contacting his mom and contacting his dad to work on that relationship too. Please make this path clear to us and give Ren peace no matter what reaction he would get from either parent. We give You all of the glory and honor. In Your holy name we pray. Amen,” Isaac prayed. “It is time for my call with Pastor Dan. Let me talk to him about this also?” Ren asked. “Great idea,” Isaac replied. Within a few minutes, Ren’s phone rang. It was Pastor Dan. Ren filled him in on what he was struggling with. Pastor Dan explained that he would like these calls to include teaching time for him to share the Bible with Ren. Ren thought that was a great idea.

Isaac worked on his homework while Ren and Pastor Dan had their call. Occasionally, he would glance over and try to gauge Ren’s expression. At times, he looked confused, and at others, he seemed at peace. He felt great that this young man, who was always so angry when he first met him, now was at peace. Isaac prayed to himself for Ren to have great conversations with his parents.

After an hour or so, Ren completed his call. Isaac noticed that he looked content. “How did it go?” Isaac asked. “It was really good. I have a lot to learn, but Pastor Dan is a great teacher. He can pick little things out of Scripture and show how they still apply today. I always thought of the Bible as something from thousands of years ago that had nothing to do with today, but that was so wrong,” Ren explained. “That is awesome,” Isaac shared in amazement. “What did he suggest about calling your parents?” Isaac asked. “He felt that I needed to clear things up with my dad first, then talk to my mom. Since it is two hours behind in Cali, I think I will go ahead and call my dad,” Ren answered. “Sounds like a good plan. I will head down to the commons to give you some privacy.” Isaac suggested. “Thanks, man,” Ren replied. “Text me when you are ready for me to come back,” Isaac asked. “Sure,” Ren answered. Isaac gathered up his homework and walked down the hall to the commons area. There were still a couple of students studying. Isaac picked a table to the side and spread out his books. At that moment, it hit him how different his life was right now. Just a few months ago, he was sharing a tiny bedroom with his two brothers, finishing high school by doing his homework on their small dining room table along with three other siblings. Now, he was at an amazing university, starting his college education, sharing a room that was bigger than the one he shared back home, and being able to study in a large comfortable room like this. “God, You are so amazing. Thank You,” Isaac prayed as he got started on his calculus homework.

An hour later, Ren texted Isaac that it was all clear. Isaac completed the problem he was working on and packed up with books. As he entered the room, he could see Ren holding his hands together and praying. Isaac’s heart melted at that sight. What a great thing to get to witness, he thought. “So how did it go?” Isaac asked. “It went really well. I believe he is truly sorry. We talked through all that happened when Mom left. He admitted to things he did. I shared with him about having God in my life now. He truly sounded happy for me. When Mom left, he would make fun of her for being a Christian. Now, he seems to have mellowed on that a lot,” Ren shared. “I am going to call my mom tomorrow between classes and practice,” Ren informed Isaac. “That is great. I am proud of you,” Isaac shared. Ren smiled as he lay down to try to sleep. There was so much going on, especially now that he was number two on the depth chart. He needed to focus and be ready just in case. God, this is a wild ride. Thank You for taking me on it, Ren thought as he drifted off to sleep.