I just hung up with one of our 20 year old mentees. It was quite an encouraging call. She shared her thoughts and feelings regarding her long relationship with Lois*, her Long Island Youth Mentoring mentor, and the impact that relationship has had on her life.
Katie* was and is a troubled young woman. All of her life’s “demons” have yet to be exorcised, but at the very least, the reality of how much her Youth Mentoring friend has meant to her over the last 10 years is finally sinking in. As we conversed about nothing and everything, the most poignant sentence she spoke to me was regarding Lois and her husband. Her exact words were, “If it wasn’t for them I’d be dead.” I was stunned as Katie is not one to emote, nor give credit to others easily as she tends to be so self-absorbed. Then she backed up those powerful words by explaining that if not for the consistency of Lois with the support of her husband, she (Katie) would still be doing drugs. But instead, she now has a job, a car and an apartment, all the things that do not coexist with a drug addiction. Praise God! As she quietly reflected on what she had just said, I asked her why she felt she was doing so well at this point in her life. She responded how her inclination is to “always” go back to what she knows (drugs and alcohol to mask the pain), but that she is now coming to realize that, “God had other plans” for her and those plans included bringing Lois into her life!
It is because of the Jesus who lives in us that we can be salt and light to those around us. Lois was and is being used in that way in Katie’s life; to be a living representation of Jesus’ unconditional love and it is through that love, that Katie is now able to actually accept that she is valuable in, not only Lois’ eyes, but in God’s eyes as well.
There are two ways to plant seed: by scattering them greatly over a wide area, or by planting them individually – one at a time. One at a time is the ministry the Lord has called us to at LIYM and you are a part of it through your prayers and your giving. Thank you. †
*Names changed
