August 13, 2020
Dear Mark,
Year two of Fathers in the Field has been amazing! Even with all the curve balls 2020 has thrown, you remained a steady mentor and friend for Ethan in very uncertain times. I can’t thank you enough for keeping in contact with Ethan during the Pandemic and just by being there via zoom calls and communication emails, I think helped to add stability for Ethan in knowing that even when the world had gone crazy, you hadn’t forgotten him. Which in turn really reminded him that God hadn’t and won’t forget him.
I know Ethan gets upset and hurt when he thinks about not having his dad around. As he has gotten a bit older and more mature in his understandings, I have tried to convey why his dad isn’t around. Since my dad wasn’t around when I was growing up either, I know the sting and hurt he feels, but I can only imagine it is magnified being a male. Especially, since at his school and amongst his friends and peers, it is not normal to have a single mom and grandma raising you. Everyone he is around seems to have that traditional family, with a mom and dad, siblings. Which has been highlighted to him and prior would make him feel a bit isolated and sore on the subject, understandably. Since Fathers in the Field and you came into his life, when his friends talk about spending time with their dad, he can now relate to having that strong male role model in his life that every child, especially boys, desperately need. So, I know he talks about you to his friends and tells them about the wonderful times you guys have together. He may not fully understand what role you are playing in his life yet, but I know you will be someone that makes a lasting impression on him for the rest of his life. Someone that helped to ensure he walks with God, tries to make better decisions and overall be a better person and Christian. You will be the person he is reminded of when he faces those tough days as a man, he will remember that God did not leave him behind has a child, instead God brought a wonderful man into his life to help guide and befriend him.
I can’t thank you or the Fathers in the Field enough and I hope that this wonderful organization continues to let boys know that they aren’t broken, God hasn’t left them and that they continue to send good Christian men to help mend the brokenness these kids feel, just by being a mentor and a friend to them.
Sincerely,
Alicia Covello
