Over the past month, I have had the privilege of mentoring an 8th grade girl every Thursday. During our hour-long walks, she took the reins in leading the conversion. We started out with surface level topics— school, sports, and friends. But as we continued to walk, she started to open up about deeper issues, sharing her family dynamics, fears she holds as she continues to grow up, and concerns that weigh on her heart.
At just 14, she has already lived many lives, and her maturity is striking because of this. The challenges she has faced have shaped her into a compassionate person. She has a genuine gift for making others feel comfortable and valued, always looking out for the underdog. As other students leave our 316 house, she reminds them to “be safe and be good,” this simple statement reflecting her caring nature.
As she shares her life experiences, the good and the bad, my heart can’t help but go out to her. I become saddened with some and then filled with hope in others. With these stories, I keep reflecting back on the compassion and justice of the Lord.
Reading through the book of Exodus recently, I am reminded and encouraged that God is concerned with our suffering. He is a present God who is alive and attentive to the sin and suffering of all people. He is a God of power and might, ever pursuing our hearts. He sees our affliction and hears our heart cry. I pray that students and their families will come to know God as their Provider. I pray they will come to know God as one who is near and powerful.
A verse of encouragement – Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, through the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its water roars and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Prayers
- As Youth Works prepares for spring and summer, we ask for wisdom in discerning where the Lord is leading us.
- Encouragement for students as they finish the spring semester.
- Warehouse Project spring session: We will be engaging in new partnerships and having new leaders and new students. We are pumped!
Praises
- Imani, one of our Warehouse students, shared a devotional at Friday Morning breakfast, leading other students in the Word.
- We celebrated our students who attended our Warehouse Project fall semester with a full day of fun: breakfast, bowling, a trampoline park, and words of encouragement.
- The high school students at our weekly Senior Lunch have been super attentive and engaged with our discussions and gospel messages.
