Sunday, February 22, 2009

A Mentee Speaks

This was a great weekend for LAMP at North Way.  One of the boys we've been mentoring for three years was able to share his story with the congregation.  Although he was nervous, I was very proud of him for speaking in public in front of so many people.

One of the byproducts of this experience was that I had plenty of down time to hang out with him in between the services Saturday night and Sunday morning.  He opened up about some dreams he has in life, and also some struggles of family life and the gunshots in his neighborhood.  He's entering an age where he wants to be a man, but he also wants to remain a child.  Conversations with him jump in and out of serious topics and childish jokes.  I think everyone can relate to this awkward stage of life.

The important thing is that he has some positive mentoring relationships in his life.  I know he'll have his ups and downs.  I hope he makes good choices in life, but what's important right now is that his mentor and I remain a consistent part of his life.  We're in this for the long haul!

2 comments:

kent chevalier said...

I'm glad that we made the call to capture the 9am to see your interview.

Anonymous said...

I thought he did really well. I loved the question about your dad being older and a different race and culture. He said "that doesn't matter". I hope the congregation heard that loud and clear.