Mentors | Our Most Precious Resource

Dear Mentor,

One of my favorite guilty pleasures is a reality TV show called Gold Rush. For those who have not seen it, it is about three men and their crews who have bet their futures on trying to strike gold in the Alaskan Klondike. The show is full of all the reality TV fake docu-drama and cliffhanger decisions that always seem to work out just in the nick of time. The climax of each season is when they tally their findings to see if their efforts have produced enough gold to pay the expenses and make a profit. Sometimes they do, sometimes not.

In the show, gold is the most precious resource. At Mercy Street, you, a mentor, is our most precious resource. And we need more of you! Our efforts to find mentors often feels a lot like panning for gold. Sometimes you hit, sometimes not. Lately it has been pretty barren panning. So this letter is a mining effort, really. We are hoping to strike it rich (with new mentors)!

We need 75 new mentors by the end of this school year. That is a lot, but it is doable. We have the demand and the capability to support the demand.

So here is what I am asking of you: In this moment, please think about someone you might know who would benefit from joining this mentoring journey (and be awesome at it) and then personally invite them to one of our Mercy Street 101’s. Let them know that you hope they will become a mentor and that you think they will benefit, just as you have benefited. Lord willing, we will do the rest.

Here is the info on the Mercy Street 101 ( http://mercystreetdallas.org/opps/mentor/ ), including dates and times. The 101 is a basic overview of the ministry and the introduction to any ministry opportunity at Mercy Street. If you have been mentoring for a while it might even be a beneficial refresher course for you too.

I cannot thank you enough for the service you are already giving. The kids and community of West Dallas are being transformed through your efforts. I hope you are being transformed too. We are making this plea because we believe deeply in the mission and power of “mutually transforming relationships” and want more folks to experience it.

I hope to see you at a Mercy Street 101 soon.

Sincerely,

Trey Hill

The Time is Now

Every year, a group called CCDA holds a conference where hundreds of groups similar to Mercy Street gather in one city to learn from and be encouraged by each other. The National Student
Leadership Intensive is a conference within the conference, created specifically for student leaders. This year, the conference was held in Memphis, Tennessee, and a group of ten Mercy Street students had the opportunity to attend.

The students who attended are part of the Leadership Institute, meaning they are active participants in Street Teams at Mercy Street and also completed the summer internship program. In order to earn a spot on this trip, these students were required to read a book called Kairo Returns and pass a test about it. The book describes the journey of an “urban pilgrim” named Kairo who after being transformed by the Gospel, returns to his own community ready to work for its transformation.

Our students identified with Kairo, and went to the conference excited to learn about community development and leadership. They attended workshops and classes on topics ranging from immigration to education to leadership. They explored a new city and went on a civil rights tour in Memphis. They got to know students from around the country with different backgrounds.

After her time at CCDA, one student said “I have learned a lot these past three days in Memphis. It’s now time for us youth to make changes in our community.” We at Mercy Street believe deeply in these emerging leaders and are thrilled to watch God move them toward servant leadership in West Dallas. Isaiah 61 paints a beautiful picture of a restored community, and we pray it will be fulfilled through these students: “…In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations.” We are glad to have these students back in West Dallas and are celebrating all that was gained from another year at CCDA!

Charge!

At the end of every staff meeting Annie Roberson (we call her Ms. Annie) sends us out with a rousing, “Shalom!” The send-off until only recently was, “Charge!” Regardless of the word, the message was the same. God has called us to a mission in West Dallas to make His peace and presence known, so let’s get out there and get busy.

It was that kind of spirit Ms. Annie brought to work with her every day. It is that spirit that will be dearly missed as Ms. Annie is retiring at the end of December.

Ms. Annie has been with Mercy Street from Day 1. Actually she has been with Mercy Street before day one. We decided to start a mentoring program at George Washington Carver elementary and we needed a strong, faithful woman of God to help interact with the parents of the children, if we were going to be successful. Bill Farrell said he knew the perfect person from his Sunday School class at PCPC. He talked to her about joining the team. She said, “yes.” Bill and I said, “Oh no.” Not because she was not the right person, but because we did not have an organization to join or any money to pay her. (That lead to a basic philosophy at Mercy Street—a principal of action—if we feel like God is calling us to do something then let’s trust Him and start doing that thing and we will figure it out as we go.) Twelve years later, we can say God was faithful to provide for Ms. Annie and the ministry of Mercy Street (sometimes through Bill Farrell twisting a few arms).

What I have learned over the years is that of course Ms. Annie said yes that day. She always says yes to opportunities to advance the gospel. She loves Jesus and wants to see other people know him and love him too.

For those who know Ms. Annie know that she has committed unbelievable amounts of scripture to memory. She is a walking, talking Bible. One of her favorite chapters to recite is Proverbs 31. It says:

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;

It is an apt description of Ms. Annie. She is indeed a virtuous woman whose wisdom and strength have been an indispensable blessing to Mercy Street. I can honestly say that without Ms. Annie, Mercy Street never gets off the ground.

Thankfully, Ms. Annie will still live in the neighborhood and will continue to love on and minister to the women in West Dallas. The only difference will be she won’t have to go to staff meetings on Monday.

Ms. Annie, I will miss you. I respect you greatly. To you I say, “Charge!”

Sincerely,

Trey Hill