Letter to Lee High kids

 Dear Lee High students,

I can remember the joy of graduating R.E. Lee (Class of 94) and my friends and I embarking on the journey of the rest of our lives. Then, one year later, two of my friends Lenny and Kevin died. Talk about a smack in the face. We were all still teenagers.

This has been a crazy week-and-a-half for many of you. Many of you guys I have had conversations with. Others I have not. If I could tell my friends at Lee High anything, it would be these five things.

1. Your Young Life leaders - just like your family, teachers, administrators, counselors, etc. - really love you. And we want to be here for you. Being a Young Life leader means keeping the hours our friends at Lee High need us to keep. There's never a wrong time to call or text us. We count it one of life's greatest honors to walk through life's joys and pains with you. My number is 540-569-0270. Please use it if it you need it.


2. Continue what you've started by being a healing community for one another. Thank you to the students who have taken leadership (defined as taking initiative for the benefit of others) to help others grieve. There is a special power in relationships. It's been awesome to watch swag and other unimportant stuff take a back seat to you guys loving each other.

3. Death hurts. It's the ultimate reminder that life isn't the way it is supposed to be. The shortest Bible verse in the Bible says Jesus wept. Guess where that happened? At a burial site. Jesus' weeping reminds us death means this world isn't at all like it is supposed to be.

4. It's OK and healthy to (respectfully) question God. Many of the people in the Bible who knew God most intimately didn't always understand the way God worked.They asked questions. Two points along with that. First, we don't always know why, but we can trust the God that does know why. Second, just because we don't know the answer doesn't mean there isn't one. For an article about what it means to trust God, you can click here.

5. Death brings up a lot of questions. I was fortunate enough to walk away from a car wreck when I was in college, but a near-death experience left me with a lot of questions about what happens when you die. I attached an article here about what the Bible has to say about death and the afterlife here

Thinking about what happens after death helped me see my need to place my faith in Jesus, who the Bible says has ultimate power over sin and death. I would love to talk with you guys more about this. You have my number. In the meantime, just know we are praying for you guys and that we love you very much!

C Lass