I am sure many of you know the story of the beachcomber who found miles of stranded starfish scattered across the sand, helpless, unable to save themselves. One by one, he bent down, picked up a starfish, and gently tossed it back into the waves. A passerby, overwhelmed by the countless starfish still suffering on the shore, told him his efforts would never matter. The beachcomber lifted another starfish, threw it into the water, and replied, “It mattered to this one.”
Whether or not that story is literally true, the message is undeniably real.
It is the story of Aslan Youth Ministries.
When Lynn Ann, Dusty, Bill, and I crossed the New Jersey state line in February 1975 with less than $200 and nothing but God’s call in our hearts, we felt like that beachcomber, standing on a long shoreline filled with young lives in need of hope. Five decades later, thousands of those “starfish” have found safety, direction, faith, and a future because someone cared enough to stop and lift them. And it has mattered to every single one.
And just like the Starfish story, the work is not finished. Not even close.
This past year tested us in ways we never expected. In January, I experienced a stroke caused by dangerously high blood pressure. Just months later, Lynn Ann underwent a complicated abdominal surgery. At 77 and 76, many might say it’s time to retire, to rest, to step back, to let go. But how can we, when God keeps sending more children our way? How can we walk away when they still need someone to bend down, lift them up, and remind them of their worth?
We are committed, for as long as God gives us breath, to keep loving these children into His arms. But we cannot do this alone.
Those of you who have walked with us over the years know the victories and heartbreaks we have faced—moments of triumph, moments of loss, and countless miracles in between. This Christmas, we ask you to remember the children of Aslan. There are many worthy causes in the world, but today, we are asking you to invest in this one, the ministry God has entrusted to us for fifty years.
I could show you thousands of pictures of the children we serve, smiling, growing, learning, and fighting through hardships no child should have to face. Each one is precious to God. Like stars in the sky, He knows every name, every tear, and every hope.
Please pray for them.
Please stand with us.
And please give, so Lynn Ann and I can continue this precious work, lifting one child at a time, one life at a time, one “starfish” at a time.
Your generosity keeps the shoreline from being overwhelming…and helps one more child find their way safely into God’s loving arms.
With Love,
Craig & Lynn Ann Bogard
