Hello,

I am a mother of 4 sons 23, (almost)21, 18 and (almost)15.  My second son (21) went away to a very competitive college after high school and did very well his first two years there.  This Fall ('09) he attended a study abroad program in London that he worked very hard to earn money for and he met some interesting people.  The trouble is they are atheists and did much to undermine what we taught him as a Christian.  My son and I were very close before he left but I know he got involved (not sure to what extent) with a girl in London and was not the same when he returned.  He is smart and well read has gone to Worldview academy and raised by two Christian parents in a strong Bible-teaching church.  The situation is rather complicated as my husband and I just moved from Idaho (where the kids were raised) to Texas in August so we are not close to our support network and our extended family members are not believers.

Also, my son was interested in courtship and was very interested in a friend of the family back in Idaho - she seems uninterested although she is only 18 so who knows?  But he is feeling like what is the point of waiting and what does it even mean to "wait on the Lord"?  Now that he is back at school here in the US he is extremely lonely because he says he's never found any like-minded people at his school here - that the people are not very caring of others.  I guess the students he met in London were very caring though I don't know what that 'caring' looks like in the atheist world.  Anyway,  he is very lonely and sounds pretty down when I talk to him.  I don't really know what to tell him.  He doesn't have a car and has not found a suitable church nearby so is somewhat isolated.  I've told him that he does not have to continue at this school but I don't know that he sees any other options as viable at this point.  I am just very sad and have been praying but with not much clear direction on what to do.  My oldest son decided to walk away from his faith during high school and is married to a non-believer and our once close family seems to be fragmenting.  Any ideas?  Thank you.