On the street where Eric grew up, the flashing blue lights of police cars were a common sight. Neighborhood violence was just part of everyday life.
Eric’s parents always did their best to protect Eric and his brother. His mother was especially strict with them, but even she couldn’t protect them from every possibility. And that became clear just a few weeks before Eric was set to begin his senior year of high school.
In the late summer evenings, it was common for the teenage boys to meet up at the local park to play basketball and hang out.
“One night, we stayed at the park a little too late,” Eric remembered. “Different kids started coming by, kids we didn’t know. I got a bad feeling and told my brother we should leave.”
But before Eric and his brother could head home, gunshots rang out. Eric saw his brother fall down. He saw the blood spreading from under his abdomen. But it took a moment for Eric to understand what was happening. His brother was dying.
He wasn’t even in a gang. But that hadn’t saved him. Eric’s brother was still gone.
When school started a few weeks later, Eric found it nearly impossible to be there. His teachers and his classmates all gave him pitying looks. He felt like everyone was staring at him. And it was hard to even care about school. His brother was gone. What else mattered?
Eric began skipping school as much as possible. He would leave the house in the morning like he was going to school, but would instead wander the neighborhood.
“I was really just looking for something to distract me from all the sadness I was feeling,” Eric said. “Everything reminded me of my brother, and I couldn’t handle it.” Eric’s mother worried that without a good education and a career path for the future, Eric would fall in with the wrong crowd. Eric’s parents sought support from their church community. That was where they first heard about Mercy Home for Boys and Girls. His parents immediately thought that this would be the best place for Eric, and he agreed. He was desperate for anything to help him escape the constant swirl of negative feelings that kept him stagnant.
As soon as Eric moved into Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, he was matched with an education resource coordinator and tutors who could help him get back on track in school. 
“I thought once they saw how far behind I was, they would give up on me,” Eric said. “But nobody ever did. They just kept helping me turn things around.”
Mercy Home also provided family counseling and support to Eric’s parents.
“I’ll never stop thinking about or missing my brother,” Eric said. “But I’ve learned healthier ways to remember him and deal with how much it hurts that he’s gone.”
Just months ago, Eric thought he would never feel happiness again. But now, thanks to the support he received at Mercy Home and from friends like you, he has hope for the future again. Thank you for caring about our kids!
Mercy Home for Boys and Girls gives its young people the safety they need right now, the therapy they need to move forward, and the tools they need to build brighter futures. Tools like a good education, life skills, career exploration and so much more.
On MissionFinder, we have over 700 ministries like Mercy Home for Boys and Girls that offer opportunities for you to support the amazing work that ministries are doing throughout the world. Please visit Mission Finder to learn about mission trips, internships and job opportunities like this to serve at home and around the world.
