A Refreshing Evening

Life can be hard. Lately its been a little harder than usual for me. I wont go in to all the reasons, but I have been feeling not at all like myself and feeling like I am simply existing. I get up, I go to work, I go home and rest up to prepare to work again. No matter what job you have, the daily grind can well, grind you. Spiritually I have felt lifeless. Knowing that my name is permanently written in the Lamb's Book of Life has been my spiritual life support - knowing my salvation is secure. However, I know this is just a season - a dry spell. And tonight, my heart got some much needed rain.

Since my life drastically changed a year ago, I have had to step away from some of my ministry activities. Though, I haven't stopped mentoring, I stopped going to LAMP meetings. About a month ago, I was asked to make an exception and attend tonight's quarterly meeting. They wanted me to be on a panel of "seasoned, experienced mentors". So I agreed. I was excited to go and finally see our church's East End campus in the city. I loved it. The two hours that followed were wonderful.

I got a little concerned at first. I was under the impression that the room would be filled with primarily "new" mentors who wanted to learn from those who have been mentoring for awhile. As people began to come in, I saw that was not the case. Most people there were just as seasoned as those on the panel, if not more so.

But when Pastor Bryan opened the meeting he said we were just going to share stories. So we did. I was in a room full of rock stars - full of people who line the pages of my unwritten book - Raquel's Book of Heros.

Just being with these folks brought me to life. So many of them have such wonderful testimonies - and if you didn't know them, you would never know the amazing things God has done through them.

I looked at Beth. Beth and I started mentoring around the same time and we went to a Fall picnic sponsored by Family Guidance. I was three months into my mentoring relationship and Rashawnda was only 12. At that time, Beth's mentee was a demon-possessed, out of control, horrible child. The way she acted around my mentee made me want to grab Rashawnda and run. She spoke so cruely to Beth - just rude and cocky beyond the normal teenage way. But Beth stuck with her. For six plus years Beth has stood by this girl and now she is a beautiful young lady. A junior in high school with dreams of getting into Penn State. She isn't perfect - she still has typical teenage issues. But the transformation is astounding - all because Beth kept showing up. Beth is quiet and humble and unless you are friends with her, you would never know the amazing service she has for the Lord.

Then I looked at Kelly. Kelly and her husband Greg were one of the first to jump on board with mentoring. Greg works full time. He has to - they have four children. But one of the things I love about Greg ... I have no idea what he does. Because his job doesnt define him - its just how he earns a living. Who is Greg? A Christ follower, a husband, a father, a mentor, an elder in the church - in that order. When Greg and Kelly's first mentee moved away, they immediately got another one. Then the first one moved back - so they mentor two boys. Greg works, Kelly has her hands full with four children - involved in sports and other kid activities. Yet they have never been "too busy" to mentor or too focused on their own to give to someone else.

Kristin. I have to be careful that I don't cross the line into idol worship here. LOL. Kristin and Chad are my heros. Chad is a school teacher/band director. Kristin gives private music lessons. My point is they both have jobs. They have three biological children who are too precious for words. Then they adopted a boy from Ethiopia. Through all of this, Kristin has remained a faithful mentor. Then Chad decided to mentor too. Wait a minute - they work, they have kids, they adopted a kid.. and yes, they both mentor. Chad once told me that he is blessed. Because he works in a school, he is done working between 3-3:30. Most men are done at 5. So he can use that time to mentor once a week.
And this ticker tape parade isnt over. Chad and Kristin had a nice house in the suburbs - in the community where Chad teaches. Feeling God's call, they sold their house and moved to the inner city.
Obviously, not everyone is called to live the life that they do. But these two are walking, living, breathing Gospels.

On the panel with me are Randy and Deanna. Deanna has been a school based mentor since the program began 7 years ago. When the boy she was mentoring in the school aged out of the school based program, her husband Randy signed up to be a one to one mentor so that the family would not lose touch with this boy. Randy spent many years as an executive in a company. He only recently retired from that position to become our church's executive finance pastor. Randy and Deanna have two biological children and two adopted children. They lead a small group and they lead multiple mission trips to Honduras each year. See they are real missionaries - because whether its in Honduras, or in Homewood, or in Wexford... they are missionaries each and every day everywhere they go. Living out the Gospel.

Looking across that room of mentors - I saw young twenty-somethings who still looked like teenagers and I saw some gray haired people who have been mentoring longer than I have been alive.

And I got to meet some people I havent met before. One lady has been a school based mentor for 6 years and she keeps losing kids because they move away. She shared many stories of difficulty and defeat, where many might have given up - but she keeps coming back and showing up because God has called her to do so.

I felt like I was in the presence of greatness tonight - and I was. Because God was there. And the reality is - its His greatness shining through the people in that room. All of us are sinners saved by grace. All of those people simply said yes when God asked them to obey Him. And because of their obedience and consistency - children are being loved.

For the record - I do have heros who are not LAMP mentors. I sometimes get accused of doting only on them. Not everyone is called to do that. I thought of Jack tonight and his amazing ministry. I thought of his wife and the difference she makes just by being who she is and obeying her specific call. My best friend and her husband are about to go to China - permanently - to work with children in an orphanage.

See tonight, I saw the church being the church. The church is the people - not the steeple. And while I was not in a church "service", I was surrounded by people who know why we are on this earth. And for a few hours, I forgot that my apartment feels like an oven. I forgot that I feel so unskilled and incapable of doing my job well. I forgot about my health issues. I just enjoyed the church. I have Psalm 84:10 on my license plate - "Better is one day in the house of the Lord, then a thousand days elsewhere".

Might I add to that - as my friend Gary did - that one day elsewhere feels like a thousand.

The dry desert of my spirit got some rain tonight. Don't know if it got enough to end the dry spell, but it was good refreshing rain - like a cold shower after running in the heat.

As I drove home thanking the Lord for tonight, He reminded me of a Scripture - one that I tend to forget. Psalm 27:13 - "surely I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living". Life is hard. But His goodness is always there. I pray I have eyes to see it more often - whether or not I am in a mentors meeting.