The past week was filled with many ups and downs related to LAMP. On the one hand, I was repeatedly discouraged by attempts to recruit new LAMP mentors. Some expressed fear over going into the Homewood community, while large scale announcements at church for new mentors yielded very little interest. On the other hand, I feel like God brought several people who are currently mentoring into my path to encourage me. They told me about how much mentoring over the past several years has meant to them, and the amazing impact they are having on their mentees.
I am very passionate about mentoring in Homewood, so I do get overly discouraged by the lack of growth in LAMP sometimes. At some point, though, I need to be careful with that because I take things too personally and it is up to God to work on people's hearts to want to get involved. God is in control of LAMP, not me. I do not call people to mentor... Jesus does.
Also, being fully immersed in the Homewood community often magnifies the ups and downs experienced in urban ministry. Big break throughs may seem to be more than they are, while brokenness makes things seem worse than they may actually be. This is why it is important for me to have relationships with people who can speak into my life and the circumstances surrounding what I do for a living. LAMP is then much more about a community of people rallying around the young people in Homewood, and not about one passionate person who is trying to lead the way.
3 comments:
Bryan
If it's any consolation, Val and I feel those 'mentoring up and downs' a lot, too. Some days it seems we're making real progress, and others it seems like we're still at square one. I guess it's just 'the nature of the beast'.
As I've said in previous posts, all we can do is be obedient, and challenge others to be obedient, too. God must do the rest.
John V
Bryan,
I feel your pain. I cannot express what joy I've had since I've started mentoring youth on the North Side. I wouldn't go back to my old life in a second and I had, from an outsiders viewpoint, a fun and fulfilling life. I had the pleasure of having one young man come to my house the other night just as I was going to bed. He said he was cold and hungry. I fed him and he warmed up in the house before heading home as his dad had the only key. After he left I had so much adrenaline coursing through my body I was unsure whether that person was Dre or Jesus. The point is I was able to have that and many other similar ones by putting myself on God's playing field.
Hopefully, I've been able to help keep your arms lifted for a minute as I shared with you.
Your Brother in ministry,
Chad
Chad... thank you for your comment, friend. I admire the work you do on the north side, and I so appreciate your support. I can really relate to the story you shared. I am thankful for those types of moments because very few people put themselves into position to have God use them like that.
I know you can truly relate... We really are brothers in Christ.
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