When we mentor someone, it sometimes feels like we are not communicating to that person in a way that helps them grow. Often times, we may not see the growth that may be happening on the inside, and we may never see the fruit of a changed life at all, especially when there is a separation in the relationship you are building.
In 2008, a group of us began volunteering to teach a bible study to a group of young men at the Pendleton Juvenile Corrections Facility. We made several friends with these young men and really began to see them differently than how society sees them. Society sees criminals that need to be punished for their crimes. We began seeing kids that had no one to set boundaries in their lives. Most of the kids we got to know had gotten into trouble by simply doing the mischievous things that most kids do, but without those boundaries, or parents being parents, they took it to another level - a criminal level. Many of these kids have no dad or healthy male figure in their lives to guide them and help them understand what being a man really involves.
I developed a relationship with a young man and was able to spend some one-on-one mentoring time with him over the last few weeks of his incarceration. I saw a tough kid that wanted to change his path and become the man he knew he could be. Once released, he planned on moving home with his mom and step dad, and wanted to attend the local church in his area and develop a relationship with a man in that church to mentor him - so that he could make a better life for himself. I was able to meet with an elder from that church and set up the mentor for him to begin meeting once he was released - at that time, about 2 weeks. All was going well, until his mom and step dad split up 1 week prior to his release. She moved to another town, changed her number, and thus I had no way of contacting him to find out where he would be and possibly help him get connected to another mentor closer to him. That was 2008.
This last weekend, I was in my living room and a knock came at the door. I went to answer it and it was that same young man I had a chance to mentor at PJCF. He didn't know where I lived, and was simply stopping by a few homes in Pendleton to share an opportunity with them from his new employer. We hugged and shared what had been going on in his life, talking for about an hour before he needed to leave to finish his work. We reconnected, exchanged phone numbers and vowed to get back together very soon for dinner and to discuss further how his life has been changed. I do not know where this will all lead, but God does! He led that young man back into my life, and He loves him very much. This young man has a long way to go to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, but he has opened himself back up to someone that invested a small amount of time in him for his sake alone.
Mentoring doesn't always turn out this way...A lot of times we will not see the fruit until we get to heaven. But it is these occasions where God shows me that mentoring works - pouring into someone's life, building trust and friendship based on my relationship with Christ, and walking them closer and closer to what their life can be with Christ at the center - making a decision to follow Christ and become His disciple. I now have a chance to go deeper with this young man on the things that we have already discussed about God from our previous relationship and his relationship with the rest of the group that served these young men. If you have an interest in serving some young men in Madison County at the Juvenile Correctional Facility, let me know and I will get you in touch with the people that are continuing this legacy of loving these young men - some of which are the least of these that Jesus spoke of. Remember the scripture? Matthew 25:36-40....
I encourage you all to keep building relationships with anyone God places in your path. Some of these relationships may not produce good fruit immediately, but God will surprise you and bring someone back into your life that you invested in - that only He can orchestrate. I thank God for increasing my faith once again! Let's continue to develop a culture of Mentoring AND Discipleship in our individual lives and in our congregation!
In 2008, a group of us began volunteering to teach a bible study to a group of young men at the Pendleton Juvenile Corrections Facility. We made several friends with these young men and really began to see them differently than how society sees them. Society sees criminals that need to be punished for their crimes. We began seeing kids that had no one to set boundaries in their lives. Most of the kids we got to know had gotten into trouble by simply doing the mischievous things that most kids do, but without those boundaries, or parents being parents, they took it to another level - a criminal level. Many of these kids have no dad or healthy male figure in their lives to guide them and help them understand what being a man really involves.
I developed a relationship with a young man and was able to spend some one-on-one mentoring time with him over the last few weeks of his incarceration. I saw a tough kid that wanted to change his path and become the man he knew he could be. Once released, he planned on moving home with his mom and step dad, and wanted to attend the local church in his area and develop a relationship with a man in that church to mentor him - so that he could make a better life for himself. I was able to meet with an elder from that church and set up the mentor for him to begin meeting once he was released - at that time, about 2 weeks. All was going well, until his mom and step dad split up 1 week prior to his release. She moved to another town, changed her number, and thus I had no way of contacting him to find out where he would be and possibly help him get connected to another mentor closer to him. That was 2008.
This last weekend, I was in my living room and a knock came at the door. I went to answer it and it was that same young man I had a chance to mentor at PJCF. He didn't know where I lived, and was simply stopping by a few homes in Pendleton to share an opportunity with them from his new employer. We hugged and shared what had been going on in his life, talking for about an hour before he needed to leave to finish his work. We reconnected, exchanged phone numbers and vowed to get back together very soon for dinner and to discuss further how his life has been changed. I do not know where this will all lead, but God does! He led that young man back into my life, and He loves him very much. This young man has a long way to go to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, but he has opened himself back up to someone that invested a small amount of time in him for his sake alone.
Mentoring doesn't always turn out this way...A lot of times we will not see the fruit until we get to heaven. But it is these occasions where God shows me that mentoring works - pouring into someone's life, building trust and friendship based on my relationship with Christ, and walking them closer and closer to what their life can be with Christ at the center - making a decision to follow Christ and become His disciple. I now have a chance to go deeper with this young man on the things that we have already discussed about God from our previous relationship and his relationship with the rest of the group that served these young men. If you have an interest in serving some young men in Madison County at the Juvenile Correctional Facility, let me know and I will get you in touch with the people that are continuing this legacy of loving these young men - some of which are the least of these that Jesus spoke of. Remember the scripture? Matthew 25:36-40....
I encourage you all to keep building relationships with anyone God places in your path. Some of these relationships may not produce good fruit immediately, but God will surprise you and bring someone back into your life that you invested in - that only He can orchestrate. I thank God for increasing my faith once again! Let's continue to develop a culture of Mentoring AND Discipleship in our individual lives and in our congregation!
