Help

One of the obvious concerns in today’s economic setting is whether there will be job stability for everyone? Does your age impact your ability to continue to work until retirement? Does my lack of education or further training limit my ability to get a job or advance? What about our youth that can’t hack taking the AIMS test and end up not officially graduating? What happens to youth and young adults who have grown up around generational poverty and don’t have the resources to figure out life and employment without some help?

God has me on a journey of connecting with many friends to talk about what does it look like to see neighborhood transformation take place? Clearly one of the passions of New City –Barrio is to see at risk youth get it between growing  a passion for life, learning, God and their own community. The opportunity is that there isn’t any quick path to help someone who is surrounded by negativism to have a positive outlook on their life and a willingness to take risks and trust people they don’t know.

I just recently preached and did a presentation at a Chinese Church that is partnering with New City. I was asked some of the typical questions which are not easy to answer in a way that makes sense. I had a gentleman who is an engineer ask the obvious question, “How can you know whether what you are doing actually has any impact on the youth and neighborhood you are doing your ministry?” He asked a very straight forward question that didn’t have a 1, 2, 3 type of answer. I said I can see amazing forward progress with many after working 6 years in my neighborhood. The challenge is that I can’t do standardized testing or having personal evals on 100 kids and teens.

I shared some stories of both youth and adults that would be both success stories and sad stories. I explained that as with any family you always have a few who step up and make life happen and others that are willing to stand around and watch life pass them by. I painted a picture of not programs being the solution to the job setting but the building up of personal relationships that become significant in the life of a youth or adult. It is through these relationships that life change happens.

I know that my Anne and I struggle at times with knowing whether we are doing any good. It is easy to allow circumstances that are too close to you to cloud your ability to see the forest through the trees. We had recently worked with two homeless teens where the one that seemed most likely to step up and follow through totally fooled us and the teen that was a total scam artist hit bottom and then stepped up. I know that looking back at what we did I wouldn’t necessarily change but I know that it is ultimately in God’s hands when it comes to the results but I know that I have to be faithful and focused on doing my best and never settling for mediocre choices.

I know that I have seen life transformation take place in the most hopeless situations. As I met with a 30 year old guy yesterday who already has four kids with two different gals it struck me that here was a guy who I had already given up on and was ready to have his mom, yes he lives at home, kick him out. Now, he is in school full time and working. I’m so proud of this guy and he knows it but he would be the first to admit that this wasn’t his life when we met five years ago.

I’m excited about the prospects of what is going to happen with my group of friends that have a heart making a difference in our neighborhood!