This story is a kind of long one, so if you don't have time to read it all, i understand.

In September of 2006, my step-sister, Chelsea, was assulted by her dad. I was standing about 5 feet away when it happened. He bruised her and put her arm into a sling for a week. She has yet to see him since then. There has been many custody battles over her brother, my step-brother, Dustin, and my parents have spent alot of time in court over it. Anyway, my sister got a restraining order against her dad and has not seen or spoken to him in well over a year, because, well, legally, she couldn't. In this time, he has sent a letter from his lawer to my parents' lawer saying that he wanted nothing to do with either of the kids anymore, he wanted to forgo all his parental rights, and that their step-dad, my dad, could adopt them. This threw us for a loop. My parents had NO intentions EVER to have my dad adopt them. This left Chelsea and Dustin with feelings of loss, abandonment, and low self worth. Especially Chelsea. She wanted to see her dad soooo bad, to tell him that she still loved him and forgave him for what he did, but, as stated before, she couldn't legally contact him. But as of day before yesturday (December 26, 2007), she can legally contact him. All day, she was kind of having a battle inside of herself trying to decide if she wanted to call him or not. At dinner that night, she discussed it with our parents, and decided that she was going to e-mail him. She updated him on what has gone on in the past year, and told him that she loved him, dispite what he did. I read it and wanted to cry. Now her dad can't e-mail her directly, only she can contact him, he can't contact her, but he can send an e-mail to my mom that is directed to her. Everyone here is on edge about what he is going to say. My mom is especially concerned and scared that he is going to say something that is going to hurt Chelsea deeply, but he still hasn't responded. I just want everyone who reads this to keep Chelsea in your prayers. She is a strong person, but this is obviously bugging her. Just pray that whatever her dad has to say, it won't hurt her, i don't know how much more she can handle. No 15 year old should have to go through this, but she does, and she needs all the support she can get. Thank you so much!

Christen