“I am so proud of you,” Jeri uttered with compassion, when she saw Chelsea coming quickly down the hallway. Today, Chelsea, one of the girls Jeri mentors, is being baptized. Recalling memories from Urban Camp is something Jeri enjoys almost as much as seeing lives of young people changed for the better.
More than two years ago, God directed Jeri to help initiate a local mentoring program and Chelsea would be one of the first to benefit. Jeri says, “Tony Evans Project Turn Around was the inspiration for beginning a mentoring program in our area. After going through the training, I brought the idea to Sugar Creek Baptist Church. Pat Connor, Children’s Minister, introduced me to a local school leader and we worked together on a way to make mentoring available to young students in our area.” Jeri and a small team of leaders put out a call for people willing to mentor others, a team was formed and they all received training. “I became a mentor with hopes of sharing my faith with a child but after doing the training with the school district, found that the rules prevented me from speaking to any of the students about spiritual matters. No praying and no evangelizing... what a blow to my plans. What was I supposed to do? God answered, do it anyway. Why? We bring God’s Spirit with us everywhere we go,” she said firmly.
Not sure about where all this would go, Jeri put her trust in the Lord to use her according to His plan & purpose.
“After meeting with Chelsea, I soon learned that she struggled with Reading & Math but her teacher’s primary concern was her spirit. Her self esteem was very low. This child had faced some serious hindrances and even greater heartaches in her young life. Her demeanor was unsure, she didn’t say much and seemed suspicious of me. It took her many weeks to open up. Moving around quite a lot and encountering abuse by a family acquaintance affected her greatly. Although she was removed from the hurtful situation and placed with her father, she had hurdles to overcome. Relating to the new home environment and a dad she had never met was very difficult because she had nowhere to process her pain,” Jeri conveys.
When asked to describe mentoring in her context, Jeri explains, “For one hour each week, I help with school work, talk about life in general and build a relationship that is helpful and friendly. I always want young people to be able to relax and share their concerns or struggles with me. This is one thing I pray for.” Meeting on a weekly basis was normal, but a couple of times during the first year of mentoring, she told us she had to miss the mentoring session. Jeri recalls this instance when unbeknownst to her, it was Chelsea’s Birthday, and Jeri could not come to the school that day. Chelsea brought a cupcake to school, thinking she would see Jeri and be able to give it to her. Unfortunately, that did not happen. The next week when they did meet, Chelsea was noticeably upset and wanted to know why she hadn’t come. Jeri explained about the work related conflict and that by the time Chelsea got the message it was after the fact. She asked Jeri if she would ever have to miss their meeting again. Jeri explained that only when she really had to, but that she would try her best to make sure she got the message in advance. Eventually Chelsea had to settle this in her heart; it was difficult but she learned that being absent does not mean being abandoned. What a great lesson. They met for the whole school year and trust continued to build.
Jeri recalls a time Chelsea asked if she was married and where she met her husband. This opened up a great avenue for her to tell Chelsea how they met at church. They talked a lot about church life and why faith is important to Jeri. “The school year ended and Chelsea was advanced to the 5th grade. A great accomplishment! I was so proud of her. I attended her promotion ceremony and looking around, began to realize that no one else had come that day to cheer for her... no family, no others at all. So, I decided that since all the other kids had people cheering for them as they were announced, that I would rally people around me to cheer for her, too. That’s exactly what we did. She was so surprised and so happy about that. What a great day for her!”
Jeri has a collection of notes and drawings that Chelsea has given her over the last two years. One of the sweetest things she received was a valentine sent to her as a “message in a bottle.” Jeri treasures these as a reminder of what God has done through their mentoring relationship.
“Since I could not meet with Chelsea outside of the school campus over the summer, we parted with plans to connect again the following school year. September 2008 arrived and we picked up right where we left off. Chelsea was maturing and our conversations developed a little more depth. She wanted to know about relationships, how to deal with disappointments and social challenges including growing up and becoming a woman.” Jeri explains. Jeri feels privileged to bring young people important life lessons.
Jeri calls to mind another memory, “Chelsea wanted to know more about me and what I do at work. I let her know that I work at Sugar Creek Baptist Church in missions and outreach. I described my job as making lives better by spreading God’s love and doing practical ministry work like fixing up homes, helping communities with their needs and mentoring. I also told her that I teach 4th and 5th grade children at church on Sundays. We talked a little bit about the Christian Urban Camp that I coordinate every summer. She was intrigued and said she had never been to a camp. I couldn’t discuss it much further with her, but I prayed that God would provide a way for her to come to this camp where she could be exposed to Jesus and all the faith issues I always wanted to discuss with her, but couldn’t.” After this, Chelsea began attending church with her step-mother on occasion and would tell Jeri about her experiences.
Jeri says, “I told the administration about our free camp and got permission to give her an application to deliver to her father. Initially, she was denied permission to attend. We were both very disappointed but accepted the decision. I continued to pray and God continued to work over the next few months! Dad finally decided that since Chelsea had passed the 5th grade, he would allow her to go! Well, Middle School Urban Camp took place in late July and she had a great time. She beamed with excitement, skipped around, played and really enjoyed herself! She had a wonderful time and kept telling me, “I just love this place!” I loved watching her relax and enjoy just being a kid without a care at camp.” On the last night of camp, she received Jesus into her heart. She came down the hallway with her towel, ready for the baptism service and with compassion filling my heart I said, I am so proud of you. It was a banner day and a life changing experience for both of us.”
When asked about what comes next Jeri tells us, “What does the future hold? I am not sure. Now that she is in middle school, we do not see each other but I speak with her by phone, occasionally.” Jeri continues taking opportunities to influence the lives of others with the love of Jesus. She encourages us, “Take every opportunity you can to mentor or reach out to others through practical ministry. You never know how this will change the community around us.”