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I received the following story from a church member and mom who thought that this would be worth sharing.
After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on
under her screen nameByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message:ByAngel213: Hi. I’m glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!
GoTo123: LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? Don’t you live in a safe
neighborhood?
ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz’ I didn’t see anybody when I looked out.
GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out on- line. You haven’t done that have you?
ByAngel213: Of course not I’m not stupid you know.
GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after school today?
ByAngel213: Yes and we won!!
GoTo123:That’s great! Who did you play?
ByAngel213: We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL
GoTo123:What is your team called?
ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.
GoTo123:Did you pitch?
ByAngel213: No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don’t want them mad at me. Bye!
GoTo123: Catch you later. Bye
Meanwhile…….GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.Her name: Shannon
Birthday: Jan . 3, 1985
Age: 13
State where she lived: North Carolina
Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall. Besides this information, he knew she lived
in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. Every afternoon until her parents came home from work.. He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the eighth grade at the Canton Junior High School . She had told him
all this in the conversations they had on- line. He had enough information to find her now.
Shannon didn’t tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day. She
didn’t want them to make a scene and stop her fr om walking home from the softball games. Parents were always over re-acting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child.
Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn’t be so overprotective.
By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her.
Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her It was then that the
memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely.
He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn’t
look scary and she quickly dismissed the sudden fear she had felt. After the game, he sat on a
bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her.
Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her It was only a few blocks to Shannon ’s home, and once he
saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car.
Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon ’s house. He
drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move. Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.
‘Shannon, come here,’ her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn’t imagine why. She went
into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa. ‘Sit down,’ her father began, ‘this man has just told us a most interesting story about you.’ Shannon sat back. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today! ‘Do you know who I am, Shannon ?’ the man asked.
‘ No,’ Shannon answered.
‘I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123.’
Shannon was stunned. ‘That’s impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He’s 14. And he lives in Michigan!’
The man smiled. ‘I know I told you all that, but it wasn’t true. You see, Shannon , there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to injure kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to talk to people on-line. You told me enough about yo urself to make it easy for me to find you. You named the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze.’
Shannon was stunned. ‘You mean you don’t live in Michigan ?’
He laughed. ‘No, I live in Raleigh. It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn’t it?’
She nodded.
‘I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn’t as lucky. The guy found her and murdered
her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you’ve learned a lesson from this and won’t do it again. Tell others about this so they will be safe too?’
‘It’s a promise!’
That night Shannon and her Dad and Mom all knelt down together and thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.
The summer might seem far away, but Vacation Bible School plans are already gearing up. So get our your pda, outlook, or dayplanner and write in July 13-17, 2009 for Gadget’s Garage.
At Gadget’s Garage, kids explore five Bible stories and discover that Jesus makes all things new, including each of them! Together, adult leaders and kids:
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Marvel at the mighty wonder of God’s creation.
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Discover Jesus changing water into wedding wine and sinners into new creations.
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Dig deeply into the parable of the farmer and his crops to unearth the reality of God’s Word growing in them.
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Learn that Jesus showed His true identity, power, and glory on a mountaintop and on the road to Emmaus.
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Discover that Jesus, our Savior, died to set sinners free so we can do His good works.
Every day, at Gadget’s Garage kids of all ages learn that God’s Always Doing Great, Exciting Things!
Registration and Volunteer sign up forms will be available soon at www.soth.org/children.htm#VBS.
Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the season of preparation and reflection for the church leading up to and culminating in Holy Week. Like a great many other things that we do in the church, some of us are great and just going through the motions year after year, with out much thought about why we do what we do. Kids have a great way of cutting through what we think we understand with the simplest of questions. “Why?” Why do we go to church on Wednesday in Lent? Why do we put ashes on our heads? Why is Lent so dark and somber? In order to be prepared for these questions please take advantage of the links below.
On occassion I am asked by parents for resources to help them talk to their kids about sex and the changes that they physically and emotionally go through as they grow up. Concordia Publishing House offers a great series for kids or a variety of ages that parents can trust to offer a Biblically sound approach to this delicate subject. 
The High School youth are offering baby sitting to families at SOTH on the evening of Feb. 13 starting at 6:30 p.m. For a reasonable donation drop the kids by and step out on the town (or just have a quiet dinner at home). Donations go to provide scholarships for the High School Winter Retreat at the end of the month. Please sign up in the breezeway this Sunday, call the church office, or e-mail Dave at drueter@soth.org.
Just like his series of books for adults and teens, Lee Strobel offers compelling evidence for Christianity in his series of books for kids. Tackling The Case for Christ, Faith, and the Creator, Strobel does at a kids level what he did in his best sellers for adults. Strobel came to faith in Christ after having set out to disprove Christianity. Putting his skills as an investigative reporter to use, he sought to disprove what he now believes and helps other to understand and believe.
