Dear Devon,

I know we haven't spoken for years but I've been thinking about you a lot this week. I remember in 1st grade, I had just moved to here and you were in my class. At some point throughout the year I remember sitting down with you and trying to talk about Jesus. You just told me you believed in the devil. Then the bell rang and we never talked about it again. Throughout the rest of elementary school, teachers and kids kind of classified you as a "bad" kid (for as bad as a 4th grader could be). To tell you the truth, I kind of thought that about you too. This week though, I remembered something you did in 5th grade that has changed my perception about you as a "bad" kid. I remember we were in class and some girl did something wrong and was going to get in trouble for it. You stood up and took the blame for it. I don't know if you did it because you had a crush on the girl or because you just genuinely cared. Either way, I thought it was really cool. Not many kids at that age would willingly stand up and take the heat for something they didn't do. Now that I think about this story, I can see Jesus in the actions you took. You were a great friend and took the blame even though you didn't deserve it. Jesus did the same thing by giving his own life on the cross. He took the blame for something he didn't do. For you to take something you didn't deserve, just like Jesus did, is truly amazing. I now see you as a good kid with a characteristic that is like that of Jesus, not a kid who was always looked at as "bad."

I haven't seen you in years. It's a real shame because I was finally starting to get to know you as "you", not what everybody perceived you to be. In 5th grade we worked on the egg drop project together and I was a little intimidated to work with you at first. But then you came to my house and we worked on the project together and I got to know you better. I wasn't intimidated anymore. I had a genuinely fun time and I learned that you are an enjoyable kid to be around. You were different than I had thought you to be. You were a great and fun kid. Unfortunately, even though we weren't close friends, I lost contact with you. I haven't even seen you in years. I don't know where you are but I want you to know, that I someday hope to see you again. I hope to see you one day, still possessing the same God like characteristics that I saw back in 5th grade.

With Love,

Zach