Mentoring and

It’s hard for us to believe, but we have been mentoring for a year already! After our experience with Epiphany in March, it is clear in our hearts that mentoring is a MUST.

Gospel Village is a ministry that our church has started that partners with the local school district. There is a 3 faceted plan in place.

VILLAGE FRIENDS: Village Friends provides support for leadership and teachers of adopted elementary schools. It allows teachers to focus on teaching by supporting them with acts of kindness, encouragement, and administration.

VILLAGE MENTORING: Village Mentoring is an off-site one-on-one mentoring program designed to form an intentional relationship between a child mentee and qualified adult mentor. Mentors will commit to meet two hours face-to-face weekly with his or her mentee. The goal of each mentoring relationship will be to form relationships that develop a well-rounded student while also earning a hearing for the gospel in the mentee’s life.

VILLAGE EDUCATION: Village Education refers to an after or in-school tutoring and literacy program staffed by volunteers from Gospel Village partner churches.

We have really enjoyed the 2 kids that we have been mentoring. Most of the time we just pick them up and come back to our place to hang out. Pizza is pretty much a staple, lol. We watch movies, play video games, take walks, play putt-putt, make cupcakes, paint nails, visit Barnes and Noble, get ice cream, play at the park and whatever else we can think of. We try our best to be constant, to demonstrate that God loves them, that they are special and that God has great plans for their lives.

Our kiddos are in Junior High…I remember those days…it can be a tough place.

I wish we could say that we have seen a huge change in the kids we mentor, that we’ve made such a difference, but most of the time we don’t really know if we’re making a difference. BUT, we trust that God uses our obedience and continue on. It has been blessing and we look forward to more time with them.

Please pray for us to have wisdom as we encounter difficult situations and try to speak truth into these kids’ lives. Please pray and think about mentoring wherever you are. You don’t have to have a program in place. There’s always a kid out there that needs someone to look up to, someone they know cares deeply about them, and will help them navigate this crazy world. It is a commitment, but one well worth the investment.