The ups and downs, the mundane, everyday routines, and the overwhelming challenges of urban ministry can cause a person forget why he began in the first place. But there are certain special divine moments in which God demonstrates his power in the lives of people and brings about the kind of fruit that causes us to rejoice and feel a renewed sense of conviction for the calling He has given us. The baptism of Nayeli, a participant in our Leaders in Training Program, was one of these moments.
I would not hesitate to declare our pilot year of the LIT program a resounding success. But it was not without its challenges and disappointments. We ended with nine of the 13 original participants, losing one to poor attendance, one to behavioral problems, and two because their parents had other plans for them. Each child who was not able to continue left a hole in the hearts of the volunteers as we all wrestled with feeling we had lost the time and love we had invested in them.
Along the way we made adjustments to our math and reading workshops and we will make even more before we start again in the Fall.
Despite the challenges we faced in this pilot year, there were a lot of things to celebrate. Fifteen amazing volunteers served throughout the program and made a real impact academically. One of our students applied to and was accepted in Sumner Academy, a magnet school in KCK for the brightest students in the district. And, for the nine students who completed the year and received their plaque at the Spring party, there was a tremendous sense of accomplishment and camaraderie that resulted from LIT.
Nayeli’s baptism, three weeks ago, was by far the highlight of the LIT year for me because we have been through so much with her. Two years of Kids Adelante, personal crises, a father in prison, and periods where it seemed like her behavior was turning for the worse. And there she was, affirming her faith in Jesus, a new creation in so many ways. And fittingly, her mom was baptized after her. And finally her grandmother. Three generations coming to Christ, beginning with the youngest. Praise God for his gracious work in the lives of lost and broken people like Nayeli and like me.
2 comments:
Awesome work the Lord is doing in KCK! May He continue to strenghten and renew your passion!
Praise Jesus! yes! Thank you for sharing this story of three generations. It reminds me so much of the NT stories: how whole families came to surrender to Jesus at once. This is evidence of the unchanging quality of our Awesome God.
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