Chaplain Rick Jones presided over chapel on the Fargo campus last week. Because we were talking about National Bullying Prevention Month, he talked to the kids about the pain of bullying.
And then he pulled a brand-new, crisp dollar bill out of his pocket. When he asked who wanted the dollar, of course, all the kids raised their hands. Then he crumpled it up, and everyone gasped.
“Do you still want it?” he asked.
“Yes!” they all replied.
Then he stomped on it.
“Do you still want it?” Chaplain Jones asked.
“Yes!”
Then he started ripping it into pieces.
“Don’t do that!”
“You’re ruining it!”
“You are a bully!”
“You can’t do that. It’s illegal!”
As he held out his hands with the ripped dollar bill, Rev. Jones asked, “Does anyone still want it?”
Some of the kids weren’t so sure, while others still wanted the dollar.
One young woman said, “I want it! I’ll take good care of it!”
As Chaplain Jones slowly taped the pieces of the dollar back together, he said, “Some of you have been bullied and abused. People have said or done mean things to you. None of that changes your value. Just like this dollar, you can be crumpled, dropped, stomped on, and torn, and your value and worth will not change. You are valuable to God regardless of what anyone else thinks, says, or does. Your worth and value come from God.”
Thank you for your prayers and support of Ranch kids. You understand that they are whole and worthy, despite all that has happened to them in their young lives.
Blessings,
Tammy Noteboom, Vice President Communications
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
Learn more about Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch at DakotaRanch.org., follow us on Facebook, and/or sign up to receive weekly stories, ponderings, and updates from Joy Ryan, our President/CEO.
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Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is a Christ-centered residential treatment and educational center for children and their families. We help the most troubled, complicated, and amazing kids by providing best-in-class psychiatric therapy and trauma-informed care, where we look kids in the eye, walk with them, and help them become their best selves.