The missionaries are "not there to proselytize." "They're there to teach Christian-based principles and be a person to turn to."
"We feel like the most important thing that we probably do of all the things we do is that we just acknowledge them and love them," Wollenzien said. She and her husband, Ivan, are the school's head missionaries.
That love is unconditional, said Sister Sharon Mears. Regardless of the attitudes or anger issues the young people might bring to the missionaries' offices, nothing gets in the way of their endearment, she said.
"You almost instantly fall in love with them," said Elder Edwin Mears, who with his wife works on the school's campus for girls. "It surprised me how quickly."
The Wollenziens have been serving at the school for more than 17 months and in that time have seen changes of heart and formed lasting relationships with some of the young men they work with.
Lory Wollenzien remembers the way one boy would smile when she teased him about being her bodyguard. She remembers his dimples, and tears up when she recalls the moment one boy from a very strained family background asked if he could call her "Mom." She fondly reflects on a boy who "played the bagpipes beautifully." She lets young men win at Rummikub, draws pictures for others and gives Glenn Beck DVDs to the boys who graduate.
It's people like the Wollenziens who are able to show the boys and girls affection or take them out of the facility on weekends, Allen said.
Ivan Wollenzien took one young man on a three-day mule trip, and takes other students snowboarding and skiing -- opportunities they may have never had before. They help them with their Eagle Scout projects, go to their basketball games and invite them into their homes for the holidays -- even after they've graduated.
This sounds like a great place to send a rebellious child!
