Gabriel Rodrigues, JJM Chaplain
It was my first week as a chaplain at the Franklin County Juvenile Intervention Center (JIC) — probably my very first day. He was either my first or second youth meeting.
When he walked into the room, I stood up to show him respect and said, “Hi, my name is Gabriel.”
He appeared to be of a different nationality, so I asked him, “Are you Hispanic? Where are you from?”
He smiled, and his eyes looked as though he appreciated the way I welcomed him. He said to me, “I don’t know. I’m adopted. I’ve never met my parents. The parents who adopted me got a divorce, and neither of them wanted me, so I guess I belong to the state.”
He sat down, and we continued talking. Within the next few minutes of our conversation, I learned two more things about his adoption — he had been adopted in California and that the couple who adopted him were two men.
Weeks later, I would find out about his charges and why he was at JIC. But in that moment, only about 15 minutes into our conversation during my first week as a chaplain, I thought to myself:
“This kid never had a chance.”
I will never forget that interaction.
That day, I realized that behind every charge, there is a story. Behind every charge is a kid who may have started life at a disadvantage—perhaps never really experiencing true love, struggling with questions about their identity, having no clear path in life, or lacking the words of guidance and encouragement that every young person needs.
I pray to God that He wouldn’t ever let me forget that interaction.
Every time I walk through the metal detectors, past the guards, and through those strong, secure metal doors, I may be one of the only people these young men and women encounter who brings a message of love, hope, and freedom.
I cannot change their past. I cannot erase the choices they have made or the circumstances that brought them there. But I can show up. I can listen. I can encourage them. I can pray with them.
And most importantly, I can bring them the Gospel and the love of Jesus Christ. I can tell them about a God and a Father who loves them.
Every young person deserves to know that their past does not have to define their future. No matter what their story looks like, there is still hope. There is still purpose. And there is still a God who sees them, knows them, and loves them.
Behind every charge, there’s a story. And behind every story is a young person who still has a future.