“So, what are we betting?” I say sarcastically.

He pauses then says, “Chick Fil A” 

“Really? Okay,” I say with a shrug.  

Playing a game he’d only learned two hands before, I figured I’d win.  How wrong I was. Normally, when you’re 17 and playing cards until 3 am on a Saturday night it’s not on a church retreat with your youth minister.  That is until you have met Nick Scanlan. Nick Scanlan is a youth minister at St. Charles Borromeo in Hartland, WI, as well as an avid songwriter and guitarist.  He has a goatee, black glasses, wears sandals a little too often, hums a melody constantly, and is perfectly content with a guitar in his hand.  

Getting him to talk is almost too easy and once he starts he will go on for hours, so much so that he even has a sign on his door that says, “Please don’t talk to me, I have no self-control and will talk to you for two hours and get no work done.” This doesn’t stop anyone from talking to him since the overwhelming sense of peace and understanding he puts out is unmatched.  It is as if he is the embodiment of a coffee shop where time doesn’t exist. While it isn’t possible to describe him with words if I were required to describe him for let’s say… a school essay about an educator I would say that he is: honest, humble, patient, and fatherly to name a few.  

That night while playing cards, he had taken a joke I’d made and gotten me to meet him one on one over lunch without me realizing what I’d been roped into until later that night.  At Chick Fil A, we talked for hours and he made me feel comfortable enough to talk about anything.  

After this meeting, I started to look at how he works with others and I saw infinite compassion, understanding, and knowledge.  This has become an inspiration to me and has taught me how to treat others: with dignity and respect, as Nick does every day.  

Since that night on retreat, my life has been changed and I know there is no going back but that doesn’t scare me, not with him by my side.

In the end, I would like to thank you, Nick, for being my rock, my safety, and my father in the church.  In the year since that first retreat, my faith has grown exponentially along with my relationship with you and I wouldn’t give that up for anything.  Thank you so much for helping me in the darkest of times and rejoicing with me in the brightest of them. Just know I cannot express my gratitude like I want to, but I hope this can give you some idea of what you have done for me.