Father Peter's Forum

We asked our boys and girls to write about what they would give some for Christmas, perhaps a gift that did not cost money, but would be very expensive because it came from the heart. We share these reflections with you because we know they will touch your heart as they have ours.

1. If I could give a gift to someone in my family for Christmas it would not be bought with money. It would be a changed me. I would show my mom a changed me, yes. It wouldn’t be the old foolish me running around robbing people, burglarizing. Instead it would be a newer improved me that has replaced his ignorance with confidence so that he can do right, a new me that accepts feedback. He can do whatever he puts his mind to, positive things and not negative things that got me here. --Gabriel

2. If I could give any Christmas gift whatsoever, I would give my mom a gift of thanks because if she did not hear about Boys Town from an old friend, I would not be the kind of loving person I am today. I would give, also, to my parents the gift of love. They never gave up on me even after many struggles. I would give a gift of thanks to the Lord who led me here to get me better. --Terri

3. The gift I would give my mom would be peacefulness. I have always made her worry every single Christmas. I was always in the streets during the holidays. I wouldn’t spend time with my mom, the person who gave birth to me. And now I am sorry and want to give her peacefulness. --Manuel

4. If I could give a Christmas gift to my Boys Town family members, I would give all of them a huge gigantic hug and spend a whole lot of time with them trying to get to know them better and better each and every day. --Reagan

5. If I could give any gift to someone back home, I would give a gift to my grandma. I would give her the promise that I would never lie, cheat or steal again. I would show her that by living my life to the fullest and best and being successful. Along with that gift, I would give her the promise I would not end up being an alcohol like some members of my family. That would be my promise. --Kahli

6. If I could any gift to my Boys Town family, I would give the holiday spirit and help them have a better Christmas, even when they cannot be home. I would help them understand it is a blessing to be at Boys Town for Christmas. --Tyler

7. If I could give any gift to the Lord, I would give faith. God has done a lot for me. It is the best thing I could do to give to the Lord. --Tim

8. If I could give any gift to someone in my family back home, I would give my guardian freedom from all his pain which he lives with physically and emotionally. That way he would not have to feel he let me down by not raising me right. Please God, heal him of his pains and sorrows. --Tom

9. For my family at Boys Town, I would give everyone I’ve met here a gift. It would also be to a friend who feels she’s lost it all because she lost her mother and no strength to deal with it. I just pray the Lord will bless her with that strength. --Joe

10. My family is a scattered few. I don’t know where my mom or dad are or even where my two younger brothers
are. We are scattered because of my mother’s actions which were inconceivable for me, but I was taken at 12. I would love to give all of them happy memories to replace all of the painful memories of our past. --Jackey

10. Since being here, I have noticed all of us deal with many life issues. Maybe some not as big as others. But I
think that I would give everyone the opportunity to live in a loving, safe home. I believe all families at Boys Town and around the world should possess the qualities of being loving and safe. --Joan

11. I don’t think all gifts need to be bought. A lot of my family I have not seen in a long time because I was either in
lockup or here at Boys Town. I am spending Christmas back home with my family. The gift I can give them is myself, my time, my thoughts and my love. All of that cannot be bought. It all comes from my heart and it is not replaceable. That is the best Christmas gift anyone can receive. --Jasmine

12. A gift I would give my family back home is a gift to my sister. It is the gift to understand nothing is always
fair. I want her to understand things happen for a reason and they are not always her fault. I want to take the pain away she is feeling. I want to give her the gift of reassurance to let her know that God will make things better at the end. --Natalya

13. A gift I would give to a girl in my house is the gift of self-esteem, to let her know she does not need a guy in
her life to be beautiful or to feel worthy of something. I want her to know that God loves her just the way she is and the way God made her. I want her to have the gift of knowing that if she puts her mind into something good and wants to change then she really can. I love her and many other people do, as well. --Alice

14. If I could give any Christmas gift to my family, I would give them my presence by being there. I have not always
been there for them and with them. I believe that the gift of my being there with them would be greater than any materialistic thing. I have not been able to actually live and stay with my family since I was 13. This would be my gift. --Kenny

15. I would give my Family-Teachers a vacation wherever they would be pleased to go. They take so much time out
of their own personal lives because they care about me and the other young men in our house each and every day. They help us. They show me how to be a better man in life and in society. What they do does not go unnoticed to me and I thank them. --Joseph

16. I would give the gift of love and obedience to my mother this Christmas because I know it was hard for her to
to raise three boys. I would give her peace and comfort and I would do something with my life so that she could feel she did not fail as a parent. --Rashaun

17. To my Boys Town house, I would give the gift of sharing I care about my housemates. We all need help, some
more than others. But just being there for them would be a good thing to encourage them to do good when they are feeling down. --Randy

18. A gift I would give my mother is the satisfaction to let her know I will be staying in Boys Town until the
day I graduate. Her dream for me was to be in Boys Town to complete my high school. I am going to stay. --Gustavo

19. I would also give my Boys Town Family-Teachers great happiness that I have changed and telling that I
want to stay here for four years in high school. And they will be so happy to know that I want to change. --Jerry

20. If I could give a gift I would give my grandma my high school diploma to show her that I made it through high
school and to show her that I’m a changed person. I know that my grandma wants me to be better than anyone in my family. I want to show my grandma that I can be the first one to finish school and get a high school diploma so I set a goal. My goal is to make my grandma proud of me when she comes to my graduation. --Daniel

21. I would give my Family-Teachers a vacation to wherever they want to go for all of the things they did for me and
other people in my home. They are great Family-Teachers and I love them with all of my heart. I’m not saying they are the best because they are my Family-Teachers. I’m saying it because they want the best for us and want us to be successful in life. They changed my life around. I am thankful for my Boys Town family. --George

22. If I could give any gift to someone in my own family back home, I would give my brother the gift of sobriety. He
has difficulty accepting some of the things that not only happened to me but also to him and he needs sobriety. It would be my gift.

We asked our boys and girls to reflect on the many times in their lives that they have been “forced” to do things they didn’t want to do and, after they did them, they’re very glad that you made them do it. This is a lesson we all have to learn in life and we share them with you to encourage you and to inspire hope in our youth.

1. At age 14, I was sent to drug treatment, but as time passed I got tired of being clean and wanted to go back to drugs. So I faked it. Got out and after a month ended up running away and getting high. I was tired of the drug lifestyle, but still wanted it. Then I found out my grandmother was getting locked up because she and her friends were high and ran a car into a house. Then my mom came back in my life and she was starting to get clean. That’s when I decided what I wanted to do with my life. For the first time, I wanted to go back into treatment and this time really get on the right path. More and more every day, I was liking the sober life. I was happier than I had been in a long time. If I continue to take it day by day and go to meetings, I can stay on the road of recovery. Thank you.
--Maria, age 16 (Name changed)

2. My mother used to tell me to go to school. I never listened. She would call the police on me and make me go to school, but that still didn’t work. I ended up in jail. I didn’t want to follow their instructions, but I did. I learned to listen to what people had to say. I didn’t like it at first, but now I found out that it works really well. Every time I was in trouble, God found a way for me and I thank Him for that.


3. When I came to Boys Town, I weighed 339 lbs. They said I had to do summer weights, football camp, 44’s and a lot of running. It was not fun, but I liked the coaches because they said: “Pete’s got a lot of heart” and I guess that means I don’t give up easily. I put forth my energy…since May 12 I have lost over 100 lbs., to be exact 108 lbs. in six to seven months. I couldn’t believe it. You made me do it and I’m sure glad you did because now I am on the football team and I’m thinking of going into the Army.
--Pete, age 17 (Name changed)

4. They said that we all had to go out door to door for the Ollie Webb Center, a place for handicapped children, and sell Ollie Webb’s honey at $5 a bottle. It seemed not good at all. I didn’t want to do it, but our Family-Teachers made us do it. I had a negative attitude because I figured no one would buy the stuff. Most people hate it when kids come to their door. I was not willing to waste my time. I was wrong. I found out I liked it. I found out that people like it…when I got here, I heard I had to attend church one time a week. At home, I never attended church. They made me participate. I even had to write down sermon notes and guess what? I found out I liked it. What I learned was this. On the flip side of having a negative affect is having a positive attitude. When you have a positive attitude, things you don’t like go a lot faster and a lot better. So I can correct myself in the future.
--Collin

5. I am a Native American and come from the reservation. My mom told the people here that Julie is a good kid, but she has to learn right from wrong. Guess what? I began to realize that God sent me here to learn some lessons. God put me on this earth. I learned to do His deeds and His deeds are to help people. I had food all my life, but growing up on the res was not easy, for kids fight everyone and there is a lot of drinking. And yet I’m glad I came from the res and not the hood or some other place because I have a family who loves me. I am glad Boys Town helped me.
-- Julie (Name changed)

6. I was born an orphan and raised in an orphanage in Russia. I was lucky enough to come to America to a very loving, caring family but I didn’t realize that until I left them. I was always getting in trouble, sneaking out at night and doing drugs and drinking, everything I wasn’t supposed to do. But that wasn’t the worse part. I was disrespectful to my family. I have had anger management problems and would always hate to admit it. Boys Town made me admit it and I’m glad they did. I sometimes say I don’t like Boys Town just to look cool. But everybody does that. It does help people and it surely helped me.
--Name withheld

7. My dad walked out on my mom when she was pregnant with me. He wanted me to go away and my mom to have an abortion. She did not want it. I didn’t do well by my mom and ended up in treatment facilities. I felt like God was ignoring me. I even felt like God had spit in my eye. To make a long story short, I came to Boys Town and I started to like it. One of the main things Boys Town has taught me is that God helps us on His time, not ours.
--Boy, age 17 (Name withheld)

8. One thing I didn’t want to do, but did anyway was straighten out my life. Everyday I would get in trouble and start talking C…to random people. I was locked up four times. I stole lots of drugs. A friend wanted to steal a car that had keys in it. I got scared and ended up not taking the car. That was a good decision. I’m glad I didn’t do it. I ended up in jail for other things. And at Boys Town, I am straightening up my life. I can act like myself now instead of acting tough. People like me more when I act like myself instead of someone I am not. I am not perfect, but I am better and I’m glad I am. I always think back on my old days and I am super glad for getting better.
--Gina, age 17

We asked our boys and girls to write down their thoughts about how others pushed them very hard to do something they did not want to do and they got better. We share those stories with you that they may be a motivator for you, as well.

1. I am going to tell you something I never told anyone. I did not want to come to Boys Town because I always thought bad about this place. I thought the Family-Teachers would be jealous and judgmental and they would make fun of us for being here. I was scared of just coming here because my neighbors would say I was a bad girl. But I have changed my mind. It is a good way to learn new things. Yes, there are people who watch you day and night here, but they are just there to make sure you are doing what you are supposed to do and not faking it to make it. What I have learned here is that I am special in my own way. I have learned to be grateful for how I am cared about here. I am grateful for a lot of integrity…Melissa

2. I am 13 years old and I am still afraid of the dark. I do not want to take the trash out at night. I think someone is going to pop out of the bushes when my back is turned and hurt me again. I remember one night here a car came up beside me when I was taking out the trash and I was scared out of my pants. I wanted to run. I thought the car was going to kidnap me. (I had no clue why I thought this because I was at Boys Town and I know this place is safe.) I only knew I was scared. I was crying uncontrollably. To this day, I remember how scared I was. Now that I have been at Boys Town a long time, I am glad that I don’t have to be afraid…Anna

3. After being here for a while, I became more open to help that my Family-Teachers were willing to give me. They made me feel welcomed and cared for. They worked with me and my family. I began to do what I thought was impossible for me. I began to change. I began to learn. I began to study. I began to become a better person, a better daughter. I learned that I was not in control, that I was just a child. I learned that God has a bigger plan for my life than I had for myself. He sent me here for a reason and I needed to follow the Lord…Kortnie

4. When I was told I was going to Boys Town, I freaked out. By this time, I went through a phase called “I don’t care anymore.” So I was running away and doing things I wasn’t suppose to be doing. I was put in a program by Sarpy County Court System. It was called C.A.R.E. aka house arrest. I wasn’t following the rules. When I was told that I had a choice of either going to Geneva or Boys Town, some of the other kids in jail had been to Boys Town and told me it was the best thing they had ever done in their life and they were sorry they messed up. That’s why I came…Emma

5. At Boys Town at first I went to church and would sit with adults and catch a few words of the sermon, not many, but I still continued to go. As I kept going, I began to be able to sit still in church and soon I began to think more about God and what He meant to me. I realized that after I left church no matter how cloudy the day or how hot or how cold, I would feel good and clean as if I had just given my soul a shower. There are still days when I am down but if I can just catch a half hour of prayer, I feel so much better…Sharaya

6. Something I didn’t want to do was live in a house full of females as harsh as it may seem. Living with five other girls…we were all from different places. I really thought it would be a piece of cake. Wrongo! I realized after the first month it was not going to be easy and that my patience was being tried a lot. The other girls knew it was hard for me to look at things from a feminine perspective because I didn’t have any sisters and I was raised around five older brothers. So I looked at things from my brothers’ perspective, a male perspective. But the girls were patient with me and have been teaching me how to get into feminine things, like a dress. I had never worn a dress until I came here. And they have been patient. In fact, I am not used to being around females. Now I am grateful for sticking with it. And I live in a house of females and I now have a feminine perspective and it feels great…Name withheld

7. My mother and I never got along. I basically hated her. I wanted nothing to do with her. I got the impression she was honestly trying to ruin my life. I would make a mistake, fail a test or miss a curfew and she would ground me. She always gave me lectures. Then one day she sent me to Boys Town. Was I ever angry at her. I hated her. I threw it in her face every time I talked to her. We had nothing to share with each other. We never tried to work out our relationship. I wanted nothing to do with her. But then this all started to change. I believe God opens our eyes and I thought I hated my mom but I discovered, through God’s help, I could not live without her. She is my life. I found things that make me proud of my mother. And now I am grateful for her…Heather

8. I have dreams to become someone important, but that doesn’t mean I am ready to become that person. Boys Town has made me realize I cannot change and I cannot fulfill these dreams unless I start becoming that person. I haven’t started yet…Name withheld.

9. There were many times in my life where I had things I did not want to do and I am grateful I did. One of them is the image of a scrawny little girl with a dirty face and tattered clothes. She timidly walked into the place I had been forced to do community service. I saw her face. I looked at her eyes and slowly became aware how much I really had in my life. I spent the whole day serving food to the homeless. I saw hundreds of people in this condition or worse. I felt nothing for them until I saw this little girl. She struck me so much like myself. The only difference was that she had not put on a facade for many years like I had. This girl had nothing. She had no food, no new clothes, no education, no family to support her. The thing that amazed me the most was after all the harshness life handed her, she still met me with a smile.

I sat with this little girl for over an hour after I had done my community service. She shared with me stories of her life and we ate and laughed. She did not seem like a little girl anymore. She had been through too much even to be perceived as small in any way. I learned so much about her. She showed me the true meaning of being grateful. She was truly my guardian angel at the moment. She showed up right when I most needed her.

I continued to find her around the shelter getting food. I brought her gift baskets and toys. When I offered a place to sleep, she slowly began to drift out of my life. One day she apologized to me for having to leave. I never saw her again and her memory is forever in my mind. I will always remember the moment of my life that was affected by this one person so much. She made me grateful for being able to give her a friend. She made me grateful for life. She made me grateful to God for putting her in my life. This experience left me with hope and purpose. I pray for her each and every day. She has meant so much to me. And it all came to me because I was doing something I never wanted to do…Elise

We asked our boys and girls to sit down and write about a sacrifice which we “made them make.” Now it’s something they didn’t want to do, but after they did it they were very thankful they did. It’s such a big lesson to learn. And it is repeated so many times, even in our own adult lives. Thanks for listening.

1. One thing I did that I didn’t want to do was come here to Boys Town. I was locked up in juvenile detention. I sure didn’t want to come here, but it was better than lockup.

They made me go to school and all of a sudden I was proud I didn’t skip school. They helped me stay away from drugs and alcohol. I wanted to do drugs and alcohol and now I’m glad I don’t. I wanted to gangbang. They didn’t let me do that and now I am glad I don’t. All of that is past. I try my hardest to keep it that way and will do so until death with God’s help. I want to do something with my life. I want to be like regular people and have a normal life. To me, that means have a regular family, a wife to be faithful to, kids, a house, a job. I want to be a barber and have my own barbershop. I even have the name for it: “Aaron’s fades and braids.” I’m happy you made me do this. --Aaron, age 16

2. I wasn’t going to school. I was running around all day using drugs and alcohol and then trying to sneak back into my house when mom didn’t know it so I could go to bed without getting a lecture from her. I was charged with breaking and entering and burglary and went to court. My probation officer gave me a drug test that I flunked. Next thing I know, I am in Boys Town. I felt betrayed by myself more than anyone else. It was very hard. It took me a long time to change my stubbornness. I like it here. I am doing so well. I feel so much better. --John, age 17

3. I didn’t want to come here because I heard bad stories from kids who didn’t make it here who ran away, but I had no other choice. So I fought it. As a Native American, I thought they would force me to cut my hair. That was part of my identity. I didn’t want to change who I was. But when I came, I met Native American Family-Teachers. I couldn’t believe it. They said if my hair was that important as a Native American, I could keep it that way as long as it was clean. Everything kind of worked out on its own and I began to be happy and I am glad I am making something for myself. I am blessed to have this. --Name withheld

4. When I came they made me join Junior Reserves Officers’ Training Corps. I didn’t want to. I thought I was making a fool out of myself. People would be looking at me and saying how bad I looked in my dbu’s (dress battle uniform). They made me rappel 70 feet up and drop down to the earth. I noticed I lost my fear of heights. Then I lost my fear of doing good. When you at last see what it was before you said you did not like, you change your mind. When you think you don’t want to do something, you need to give it a chance. You need to say to yourself: don’t judge a book by its cover. I am happy I am here. --Matt, age 17




5. I did not want to do cross country. They said I either had to play football or do cross country. They made me run farther and faster than I wanted to, farther and faster again, farther and faster again. And guess what? I started to like it as I got better. I placed 2nd at the Wahoo meet, the Arlington meet and the Boys Town meet for JV’s. I went to conferences and districts. Cross country let out of me the gift God had given me. I have three more years to improve. I hope to place at State. --Chris

6. Beautiful notes fade as the brass quartet finishes their piece. The crowd cheers. We even receive a standing ovation. We stand up and give each other a high five. In the midst of the musicians was me, one of the trumpets. When I was very young, I heard Louis Armstrong play the trumpet. That was it for me. It was very hard. I wanted to quit at times. Playing the trumpet is not as glamorous as it appears, especially in the beginning. You’re criticized terribly. No one comes to your performances. You are forced to rehearse and rehearse and rehearse. The reason no one comes to the performances is the simple fact that you aren’t very good. I can’t blame them. But then you start to get good and you thank the Lord you continued. When I wasn’t very good, I wanted to quit. I thought: oh that other trumpeter is so much better than me. But my mother heard this and told me: “You’re always going to have someone better than you.” With that in mind, I continued. I thank God I continued. --Marcus

7. When I was back home, I was not faithful to the Lord, not serving Him with my actions. I was in juvenile detention, then I was forced to go to the Boys Town Residential Treatment Center where I was locked up. There I started to learn to love God with my actions. I realized at one point that God was blessing me and bringing me closer to Him. God was seriously becoming part of my life and I could see the change. Going from aggressive and assaultive behaviors left no trust with my parents. I have come this far with a foundation of trust with my parents and no aggression. Without God, I would not be anywhere. So my final thing to say is: with the power of God anything is possible. It will shatter any wall, will defend every believer and protect every soul, especially me. --Dalton

Christmas Reflections

We share these Christmas reflections with you because Christmas is a time for family. No matter what else we say, we know that if we put a smile on our face and try to love one another and kneel before the baby Jesus at the crib, we will have a great Christmas. I hope these reflections touch your heart.


1. The best Christmas I ever experienced was when I was ten. My grandma came all the way from Utah to visit us for Christmas. She loves us very much. My mom made a big dinner and was happy. Most important of all was that my mom and dad did not fight. I got the bike that I wanted. It was a very fun Christmas.
--Joe, age 16

2. The best Christmas I experienced was a few years ago when my family wasn’t split up. It was the best because there seemed to be more there. The reason I say this is because I would give the world to spend Christmas with my family and show them how grateful I am now.

--Joey, age 16

3. If I could give any Christmas gift to someone at Boys Town, I would give to John something he has never had. I would give him a best friend to care about him. That best friend is me. I do this because his whole life, no one has cared about him. Because he had no friends, he has done a lot of cruel things in his life. I give him friendship and caring from my own heart.

--Jonathan, age 16

4. The best Christmas ever was last year. It was the first Christmas that I could feel and say I had a family that was there for me in the Christmas Season. It was my first Christmas at Boys Town. I felt that all my friends and those who cared about me stood by me and gave me a Christmas I will never forget ever.
--Patricia, age 15

5. The worst Christmas was last year. Boys Town is a fun place to be for Christmas, but I made it bad because my real family was not here. I was selfish. I had only tears. I didn’t try. That is why it wasn’t the best for me.
--Name Withheld

6. The worst Christmas I ever experienced was when I lost my grandpa because he was the one who brought our family together.
--Nina, age 15

7. There were so many good ones, but one that really sticks out that I wish I could go back to is this…When my grandparents were alive and everyone in my family was together having a good time and enjoying each others company, giving presents to each other and no one fighting. There was no one forgetting the true meaning of Christmas. It was the last Christmas with all my grandparents.
--Maya, age 16

8. My worst Christmas was the Christmas of 2006. I went to church, but it was too hurried. Most of all, to me it felt like God was not present. Many things were wrong. I was not sober and I barely remember it. I wish I could have done better.
--Name Withheld

9. The worst Christmas was when I decided not to let my family have a happy and joyful Christmas. We went to church on Christmas Eve. I decided to whip out my cell phone and Ipod while in Church and pay no attention to the Lord. I didn’t listen to my mom or dad telling me to put them away. I argued with them and really embarrassed my parents. I ruined their Christmas.

--Name Withheld

10. The best I ever experienced…so far…(even though we are not quite at Christmas) I would say is this one. I say this because I have never thought of Christmas as an Advent or as a religious time to grow in Christ. This year Boys Town has helped me to become closer to God, stronger in my faith and a better person just in a few weeks leading up to Christmas.

--Chelsey, age 15

11. My best Christmas was last year when we got to put on our pajamas, eat real good food and open presents at Boys Town. Everyone cared about each other. It was a blast. I like the Boys Town Christmases we have her.
--Elizabeth, age 14

12. The worst Christmas I ever had was last year. I was stuck in a hospital with a bunch of people who didn’t believe in love. They only worried about what they would receive. They got what they deserved, which wasn’t much.
--Name Withheld

13. Last year was my best Christmas. I went home for Christmas and I was very excited. I wanted to help prepare everything for Christmas. I wanted to go to my aunt’s house and help her cook. I was in the kitchen after dinner, doing dishes, cleaning up and everyone was pleased with me. I thank Boys Town for the Christmas we had the week before. Boys Town helped me to understand Christmas and to enjoy all because you are with people you love.
--Angie, age 17

14. If I could give any gift to someone in my Boys Town family, I would give it to Maria (not her real name). Her parents strive for her to be something she is not. They tell her all the time how fat she is. In reality, she is not. Behind the scenes, I see how much this hurts her. Many don’t think it affects her too much, but I know it does. I would give her the gift of acceptance by her parents. No matter what they believe, nobody can be perfect. She is not fat either. She is my friend.
--Kim, age 17

15. My best Christmas was last year because my Family-Teachers threw a birthday party for me. I have never had a birthday party before in my whole life. It was really a lot of fun.
--Name Withhel