continuum fabri

(Title means "Continuation of the story").

I left off with my best friend Ryan's sudden abduction to a Christian rehab in Montana.

I forget to mention that earlier that summer, Ryan and I, along with his sister (who has become a sister to me) and another of our friends, Graydon Cress. Graydon and I grew to be great friends in the high school years, mostly because of our mutual experiences with Ryan, and we also were accountability partners (a.k.a. brothers in Christ who give each other the proverbial "kick-in-the-pants" when we need it). Well that last sentence got bogged down, and isn't a complete sentence if you look closely enough, but what I was going to say was that we all went on a whitewater rafter trip with Mt. Hermon ministries on the Klamath river earlier that summer. It was awesome. We had tons of fun and met awesome people, and were all encouraged in our walk with Christ. We also found this awesome song:

"All they lions they can eat my body,
but they can't swallow my soul, no no no...
They keep on trying to crash my party,
but they can't get control, no no no..."

If only Ryan had remembered that song...
If only he recalled it now.

So by the time September came, I'd come to enjoy this fun-loving, care-free, Christ-loving Ryan, and I was pretty bummed that his parents sent him away. But I trusted that they had his good in mind.

The Christian rehab was called Affinity, and was, I heard, home to about 40 other struggling drug addicts, sex addicts, alcoholics, and suicidals. I hoped, I guess, that Ryan didn't "fit in".

It was strange what happened in the next six months. Ryan Robertson's house had always been the "hang-out" for kids in my grade at church. We had late night campfires with worship and s'mores. We watched movies, flirted, played video games, talked, and had bible studies. It was awesome. They always had an abundance of pop and chips and other snacks. My grade at church loved the Robertsons, so when Ryan was sent away... they all bonded around him. We would sign pillow cases, posters, write letters--we had parties organized around these activities--and pray for him, always keeping him in mind and mentioning him in our prayers. It was beautiful unity in fellowship and encouragement. Ryan was blown away. He would send letters back, and we would have them read aloud to the entire grade, packed into their living room, which should have held only 15 (maybe) but we got in probably twice that--or more. His letters made it sound like he was thriving. He mentioned how it was difficult, and told us about how they had to do PT (Physical Training) as punishment and as a routine, at Affinity. It sounded like an intense but incredible blessing--the whole "learning the hard way" deal.

For about six months this support of Ryan by our grade at church continued, and then slowly tuckered out, each of us only politely remembering our friend in Montana. After all, there were many of us, and only one Ryan, so it seemed almost appropriate that we move on.

I wish we hadn't.

In April of 2004, after Ryan had spent many months at Affinity, coming home only for Christmas, Graydon Cress and I went with Ryan's family to visit him. We stayed at a hotel about a 15 minute drive from Affinity. It was great to see him. It'd been a long time. While we were there, Graydon, Ryan, and I (with the help of his little brother, Riley) made a mock Crisco commercial, and a movie (in one, Ryan walked backwards and slid down the rails of the stairways, so when we rewound it, it looked like he was sliding up the rails--it was awesome), and we had Graydon sit in a big hotel chair, stacked another one upside down on top of him (if that one slipped it would've crushed his throat, so I held it), and put another one right-side up on top of that one... Ryan sat on top of it, and we had Riley video tape it. That was awesome too.

This concludes the second installment. Hopefully I will add more later tonight, since I know this ending was abrupt. I am chauffering my sister... :D (fake smile).

Goodbye, world, and

Valete amici