A Special Thank You

Hi, my name is Deandre.

I’m happy to say I just graduated from UT Arlington with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing.

I’m the first in my family to earn a college degree.

I just wish my mother could have been there…

I grew up in West Dallas and graduated from Pinkston High School in the top 30 in my class. I assumed that meant I was ready for college, but my Mercy Street mentor along with ScholarShot guided me to Mountain View Community College first. It was clear at Mountain View I needed more and when I did transfer to UTA I still struggled getting a 1.9. This put my public grants at risk so I knew I had to buckle down.

ScholarShot helped me financially but more importantly they provided guidance to navigate college that I would not have from home. I worked hard, and it paid off as I graduated with a 3.1. I work for a major commercial bank in Dallas making about twice my family's total household income. I'm very grateful. I don't take any of this for granted. There are many answered prayers.
    

I wish my mom could have been there but she was recently re-incarcerated. Both my parents love me but have struggled with drug addiction all of my life. My father and more importantly my brothers and sister did come to see me graduate. My younger sister and brothers are working to get their lives together and I'm pleased to say my sister is enrolled at El Centro College thanks to ScholarShot. I hope my brothers will be next.

I know that earning this degree is a game changer for my future and my family. I know that my making it has told my brothers and sister they can too. I know there are a lot of students out there like me.

Thank you for supporting me through ScholarShot. You've helped change my life!  I hope you'll consider helping others as well.

In Christ,

Deandre J.

BS, UTA

Story provided courtesy of ScholarShot.

Basketballs and Hello Kitty!

In 2014, a group from Highland Park High School held a drive to collect items for the Carver Elementary "Carver Store". The response was so overwhelming that they decided to do it again! Last month, the Youth for West Dallas, the name they've chosen for their group, organized another successful drive for Carver! Below is an email sent out to the parents and students who participated.

MOMS, DADS, FRIENDS, FAMILY!!! 

Do you ever feel overwhelmed and honored because you’ve been privileged with the opportunity to be a part of something really special? Have you ever sat in awe, without words, as you watched a purposeful project unfold right before your very eyes? Well, that’s how I felt all last week. As the Youth for West Dallas Executive Committee rallied to collect items, donations, purchase items, drop off items, and prepare for the drive - I watched with gratefulness as our community came together to help those that needed some extra bright spots in their days. On behalf of the cute kids at Carver … THANK YOU!!! Your donations were absolutely perfect! From the basketballs to the daily journals to HELLO KITTY (I was told that they little girls love the Hello Kitty section) to shampoos and toothpaste. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Another off the charts successful Carver Supply Drive! 

Another cool part of the drive was when the staff at Mercy Street took time out of their day to come share with us about how your donations will bless the students of Carver. Natalia Rodriguez (mentor coordinator) and Nicole Livingston (communication & events) shared with the students about the supply room and what these items will mean to the children. Then Sam Flores (Director of Development) led us all in prayer for the school and their community. It was VERY cool to have the parents and the teens pray together (yes, some teens prayed out loud- lol) for Carver and the community of West Dallas. 

In addition, you guys donated $1,800 to Mercy Street this semester! How cool is that! Thank you so much! 

All of this being said, my deepest hope is that you are blessed because EACH OF YOU has blessed another. Thank you for partnering with your children (not just with West Dallas), but in all the different areas of your lives. It’s awe inspiring to see the purposeful parenting and the intentional investing that’s taking place. I know this is a small piece of a much bigger puzzle. Words aren’t enough….. 

It’s really cool to come together as families in this way. THANK YOU! 

xoxo- Mel

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

Faith Works

James 2:14-18

Faith.  Works. 

That’s the story behind the Kershaw’s Challenge Baseball Field Groundbreaking on Wednesday, October 21^st.  Because of the extraordinary generosity of Ellen and Clayton Kershaw and their foundation, Kershaw’s Challenge, we were able to break ground on what will be a state of the art baseball field in West Dallas.  This is just one part of the whole.

It’s been 6 years since we completed what we affectionately call, “The Big Field”.  “The Big Field” was Phase 1 in our Field of Dreams Capital Campaign.  Phase 2 is now underway with plans to build 2 baseball fields and a tee ball field.  Alongside of The Kershaw’s are many generous donors whose faith…works. 

They don’t work to be saved; they work because they are saved. 

Mercy Street is the humble recipient of partners in the Gospel that love Jesus with a fierce love and out of the overflow of that fierce love, come beautiful works.

Last week, Jerry Wagner, Pastor of Mercy Street Church, spoke at our Annual Fundraiser Luncheon about Mercy Street’s heart for the child in the uniform, not the win.  Sports are yet another avenue where we can place a mentor in the life of a child and…let’s all remember our own childhoods…there’s no better place to hone your Godly character than engaging in a little competition while learning to be a team player.

It’s our earnest prayer and desire that these fields will be so much more than pretty dirt.  But rather, a place where Christian leaders are cultivated and where students are gaining a vision for giving back to their communities and schools to lead to Gospel transformation.  You know – faith – working itself out!

For the full Dallas Morning News article on the Kershaw Groundbreaking, click the link. http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/columnists/kevin-sherrington/20151023-sherrington-pitching-in-...-helping-is-never-out-of-season-for-dallas-kershaws.ece

Unexpected Joy

MERCY STREET INTERN SARAH STEINMANN GOT MORE THAN SHE BARGAINED FOR THIS SUMMER.

Last Christmas break, I sat across from a trusted friend and confessed my concerns — and dreams — for the upcoming summer. How could God use me, just as I am? Where could I best invest my time with the gifts I’ve been given? She bravely looked me in the eyes and declared, “Sarah, I don’t know God’s plan for you, but if you take a step by faith and it’s not the right one, he’ll close that door. Trust him, and walk forward.”

A few days later, I applied for Mercy Street’s summer internship program. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned in college, it’s that oftentimes you have to take the first step and walk bravely (or not-so-bravely) down the path ahead. This summer, my path took me to the streets of West Dallas — specifically, to Mercy Street, a non-profit affiliated with IBC that “hopes to be used by God to spark Christ-honoring community restoration by engaging in mutually-transforming relationships with the future leaders of West Dallas.”

That’s a mouthful, for sure. To understand how I connected with that mission, let’s backtrack a little: I’ve attended IBC for the last nine years, since I was in fifth grade, and have been hugely impacted by its incredible teaching and leadership. A die hard Aggie, I’m now in my second year as a management major in the business school, and I’ve also been captivated by the great Good News of the Gospel.

This past summer, I joined Mercy Street’s internship program from June 2-August 10 as a college intern, which simply means I was one of seven life coaches for the 30 high school students from West Dallas whom Mercy Street mentors as part of its high school internship program. These students are intentionally discipled to grow in Christ while being taught valuable business skills. It was with these students that I walked, hiked, stumbled, and ran. And Mercy Street does just that: it walks with people. With Mercy Street’s internship program, all college interns live with Mercy Street’s staff, and all staff members live in West Dallas (or close by). Mercy Street’s staff gets down in the nitty gritty of life in West Dallas; they get personal, welcome people into their homes, and tenaciously walk hand-in-hand — not ahead — of the people they love. And let me tell you: the people they love are absolutely incredible workmanships of God. I saw that clearly, not only in West Dallas, but with the whole crew of Mercy Street high school and college interns as we embarked on our “bonding trip” through the mountains of Colorado for a week of backpacking in July. 

For a city girl, Colorado was one of those experiences I was “glad I had, but never want to have again.” Living in the woods for seven days, sharing one roll of toilet paper with everyone, and waking up to a frozen white world every morning was hard, but good. Through the trip, and the hours of hiking, I gained a key insight: it’s in the walking, trodding, suffering, and laughing with people that we can plant the roots of deep relationship sand make life-transforming connections that can’t be generated any other way.

First, I was taken aback by the real, inner beauty of my students, people like Marqreshea, a freshman high school student who loves her family deeply and serves with the best heart I’ve known. And there were others, like Shena, a rockstar basketball player who is driven, whose work ethic amazes me, who carries herself with a quiet confidence I want to emulate. Then there’s Destiny, a friend full of joy who inspires others, as well as Rodayisha, Kalia, Kasie, Demondre, Tyrin, John, Donavan — the list goes on for thirty students.

I had expected to be confronted this summer with the brokenness of inner city life that can run rampant and create undeniable hurt in concentrated areas. And yes, I witnessed that pain-filled reality. But what I didn’t expect to see so clearly was my own sin and my new appreciation for God’s mercy. (Yes, the name Mercy Street was for me, too!) Certainly, I met kids with quick-firing, disrespectful tongues, but I was also broken in seeing how quickly my own identity can rely on the fickle opinions of others and how swiftly frustration can rise in my heart. I didn’t plan on rediscovering my own need for redemption and that glorious, beautiful “knowing” that I am redeemed through Christ. I didn’t plan on seeing shalom, peace, grace everywhere. I didn’t expect to laugh so hard, to witness first-hand the pictures of renewal — snapshots of how God is working, moving, breathing, restoring. 

If I were sitting across from a trusted friend right now, I would encourage her to take that first step in being a Mercy Street mentor. “Sure, it will take bravery and tenacity,” I would say. “But if you take that step of faith and walk forward, God will go with you. Who knows? He can use you to rebuild hope, to paint a more-hopeful future for a West Dallas boy or girl. And in the process, you can rediscover the joy of your own salvation.” Of that unexpected joy, I’m walking proof.

This story is featured in this months issue of Chatter published by Irving Bible Church.