Outstanding Partnership in Education - Won Again!

Last year, Mercy Street won Outstanding Partnership in Education for our work with Edison Middle School.  This year, the Lord saw fit, to award us again, but this time, at Carver Elementary.  Please read below the note from Carver... 

October 28, 2011

This award for Outstanding Partnership in Education is being presented to Mercy Street for their continued devotion to serve the students at George Washington Carver Creative Arts Center.  Year after year Mercy Street has proven to be a reliable partner in education and has always been thoughtful and concerned enough to consider the needs of our school as well as our community. Mercy Street continues to provide mentors, volunteers, and incentives to the students at George W. Carver in an effort to promote higher student achievement and better student citizenship. Overall Mercy Street and its mentors encourage students to display excellent behavior in and out of school time. Carver’s staff considers Mercy Street to be a tremendous asset towards the success that our students continue to exemplify each year. Our utmost gratitude goes out to Mercy Street for their outstanding efforts. Mercy Street is most deserving of this award.

Michael A. Hicks,

Community Liaison

Making History

by Garrett Smith

Oscar & Bobo are two from the Westside who have decided to surrender.  Jesus uses the word "repent" which in modern language means to stop and to turn in a new direction.  Or in the words of Christian rapper Flame, to "throw out your white flag." To give up on trying to control life and have things your way and do as you wish.  In other words, to walk away from always caring about yourself and turning towards something bigger than you.  

These boys were in Northern Ireland for 17 days this summer (9 of which I was able to join them) and they came back walking in a different direction.  God used dozens of His Irish followers to powerfully impact them and convict them of their sin, leaving an eternal mark on them.

We had an amazing time on the other side of the world! We sat and watched breathtaking sunsets with Irish cliff's falling off into the ocean on the horizon.  We spent 5 days with the craziest Christian summer camp imagineable.  We wore soccer and rugby jerseys and ate french fries smothered in vinegar.  We laughed and cried and struggled to understand the slang.

But what I want you to hear is how two boys came home changed; two boys who know of no one in their family who has ever submitted their life to Jesus Christ; two boys who have chosen to go against the entire flow of everything they have ever known.  

They have made history.

A type of history that has the potential to impact their family and their neighborhood and beyond for all of eternity.

This trip made history in so many ways.  But, just one more must be mentioned.  In the weeks that have followed Oscar has been a different man.  He has been sharing the gospel with people who come into our home and studying the scriptures with a sense of urgency.  This has drawn the attention of his mother, who Oscar has not been fond of in the past.  He has watched her make poor decisions but not really felt for her tough circumstances.  Well, Oscar started to love her and his mother questioned what had happened in Oscar's life.  She wants what she sees in her son.

Email From a New Mentor

Hi Annie!

I hope you're doing great!  I have been so blessed by mentoring Jiliya.  She is a fantastic little lady!  We've done some really fun things together already - she has come to work with me, she came to a fitting of my wedding dress (got to meet my family and bridesmaids), we've made cupcakes, gone school shopping and much more.  Jiliya has gotten to know my then fiancé, now husband and we are really setting an example for her about a healthy marriage and relationship.  I love that I have had the opportunity to pour in to her and her family.

With love,
Mentor

For As Long As You Need Me

Check out this awesome article!

Graduation Luncheon 2011

         Mentors and Students who attended our Graduation Luncheon May 21^st 2011

Over the past eight years, Mercy Street has grown from a vision to a reality that is just beginning to concretely transform the neighborhood of West Dallas.  We thought you might be interested in our progress!  Mercy Street:

·      Has recruited, trained, and supervised over 550 active mentors from 31 Dallas churches to match with a West Dallas Public School student.

·      Experienced a reversal in the drop-out rate from 70% to less than 30%.  36 of the first 44 who were mentored graduated in the spring of 2011.

·      Built a staff with capabilities of bringing mentors to every West Dallas Public School child, increasing our budget from $250,000 to $1,400,000 and raising it each year.

·      Raised the money and built a $550,000 baseball field with room left to build soccer, football, lacrosse, softball, and t-ball fields.  We are in positive conversation with the Texas Rangers Baseball club to build the balance of the sports complex ($2,500,000)

·      Established a “Pathways Program” to teach children how to fix bicycles, keep our headquarters and ball fields cut and trimmed, plant and grow vegetables—along with the skills of filling out a resume’, interviewing for a job, and working on an hourly basis for an income (or a bicycle),

·      Established very active Bible studies and summer camp for every age group (8-10, 11-14, and 15-18) and including the mothers of our students.

·      Built long term relationships between mentors and students, coaches and students, Mercy Street staff and students including the families of both mentors and students.

·      Our next five years will be better as we see our maturing young people take leadership roles in West Dallas

Camp Memories by Ashleigh Phillips

Ashleigh (2nd from the left on the bottom row) & her cabin!

Love hard.  Those are the only words I heard as I prayed about spending the week at Pine Cove with Mercy Street. It was early Sunday morning and I had decided to go just a few days before.  I had been hoping to hear a little bit more that day.  I'm not sure exactly what.  But two words, Lord?  Love hard.

I drove down with the girls in my cabin: 8th grade girls. I was nervous. See, at that age they are old enough to realize that I am not, and never have been, cool. They probably figured this out about 5 minutes into the drive when I tried to lighten the silence by playing a Toby Mac cd. He was really cool in the 90s. 

It didn't take me long to learn names. Jada with the awesome hair. Shelby with the gentle smile. Daisha with the servant heart. Vivica with that explosive laugh. Brandi with observant eyes. Jaquelyn with the swag. These were my girls. They were beautiful and full of life. They were also slow to get ready in the morning, even slower to actually leave the cabin. They were loud during quiet hour and silent during camp cheers. They did not want to run between activities. And anytime there was a 12 year old boy around they pretended not to know me.  So there we were at Pine Cove, between the pool and the carnival and the horseback riding and the archery and the blobbing and the basketball, I ran and cheered and timed showers and prayed and prayed and prayed. 

These girls were strong. And it catches my heart because life has demanded they be strong. They've built these walls so high it can feel impossible to get through. But if we're shut out, how much more are they trapped within? Love has to be harder than their walls. Harder than my fears and insecurities. Harder than is safe. There is no restraint in this love. No withholding. It's total abandonment to a moment, to a week, to a cabin of 8th grade girls.

Ashleigh and her Pine Cove Counselor

I drove home by myself the last night of the trip. Completely spent, I was facing upcoming travel and work deadlines with nothing left but a really awkward t-shirt tan. And the prayer that I prayed that night was a simple one. God, I said, I'm exhausted.  But then I saw all these stars up in that Texas sky and I thought about how much more lies ahead for us, how we're here for a little while to do this one thing: to be relentless in our love. And then I was glad to be exhausted because earth seems the right place to be tired. Love hard.

Is Mentor Training Really Worth The Time?

Dear Mercy Street Staff -

I wanted to share with you that every time I go to Mentor training I walk away feeling challenged to step up my game.  I feel the flame within my heart renewed and remember how grateful I am to be a part of this ministry. I am encouraged and re-energized! Now mind you, I also end up feeling guilty because I am not doing enough! But I guess it all balances out, right? 

One of the cool things that happened at the training this past Saturday was when one of the other mentors voiced exactly how I was feeling!  I never wanted to share those feelings because I felt guilty and embarrassed.  I realized then that the only way to encourage each other in this mentoring ministry is to be vulnerable and to be honest wtih one another about our struggles.  Mentoring is not easy! Geez even "uncle Bill" often slips! That sure was a relief! 

I am amazed at how God paired me specifically with Gabby.  She is more than my mentee, she is my little sister, she is my spiritual daughter, she is my joy and I love her.  

Thank you!

Kind Regards,
Martha DeLeon