Luis , as always I'm with you!
Ruthy Keep the faith there are thousands of us out here pulling for you and your family Best wishes and any help i can provide .....John Cleary a.k.a. Kakaze
Ruthy, my prayers are with you and Michelle's family for their daughter's safe return.
No one has spoken to her since, but last night, a call came in to the house from that cell phone number. When Allen answered it, the person on the other end hung up. This gives us hope that she is just scared to call, and that's why I'm asking for prayers.
You are right Ruthy. This is a hopeful sign in what must be a terrifying ordeal for everyone involved. It's likely she wants to come home or at least talk to someone other than her dad. Whoever she's closest to in her family should pick up the phone from now on so she doesn't hang up the next time.
That she has run away before should give them hope that she is alright this time. Her parents should also understand that a teenager running away is essentially making a cry for help. It sounds like her previous cries went unheeded and she decided more dramatic measures were needed. Or it may be that her problems have nothing to do with her family -- I don't know. But in either case, how they respond when she comes home will have a profound effect on the course of their future relationship.
The parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 provides a model for parents of troubled teens. Instead of I-told-you-so's, where-were-you's and other recriminations, the father simply embraces his son and throws a feast to celebrate his return. The older son represents the part of us that assumes the prodigal child is being rewarded for his misbehavior and is therefore resentful. But he misses the point. The father rejoices precisely because his worst fears -- the fear of every parent with a missing child -- did not come to pass. His son was as good as dead, but miraculously, he had returned to life. The prodigal's return after so many years was unbelievable good news and therefore cause for great rejoicing.
Let us all pray for Michelle's safe return and for great rejoicing at good news.
BTTT
Pinging some of my prayer list. (Sorry if you have already been pinged.)