Joel Fether, City Life East
“Charity” has every reason for a bright future. She is intelligent, caring, fun and mature. Unfortunately, Charity has also been saddled with challenges that no young person should have to face. Her mother struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. Charity is being raised by family friends, but they also abuse alcohol and fighting is an almost daily reality in that house. She’s confided in us that she often feels depressed which in turn leads her to the temptation to smoke marijuana as an escape.
Last year Charity started attending City Life and put her faith in Christ. Beginning a relationship with Jesus instantly changed her eternal destiny, but it also introduced new hope into her day-to-day reality.
The adults who serve in our ministry work and pray hard to pour God’s love into students like Charity. Recently she told one of them that she does not want to end up with a life filled with substance abuse and dysfunction like the adults in her family. That leader proposed that she and Charity begin meeting one-on-one for spiritual mentoring. After praying about it, Charity accepted! The two recently started meeting and at the end of their first time together Charity said, “Well, I guess this means we’re family now.”
And thanks to Christ, they are!
“Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” 1 Thessalonians 2:7b-8