Mercy Street was bumping with energy this past Saturday as parents and mentors came together for a morning of fellowship. They played games together, received specific training, and enjoyed good conversation as they shared a meal with one another. The theme of the day was "It Takes A Village," and each person spent time considering the vital role they play in raising the children of our village here in West Dallas. It was a beautiful morning at Mercy Street.

One service we offered this Saturday that hasn't been available during most of our events was English to Spanish translation. This made it possible for a number of parents to participate who haven't previously been given the opportunity. The coolest part about it was that our Student Leaders were the translators! They wore headsets with microphones and spread themselves out so that each talk would be translated for all to hear. It was a joy to sit back and watch our students play such a vital role in the ministry taking place that morning.

Our Student Leaders are always eager for opportunities to serve. If you have any specific needs where you could utilize some volunteers, let us know and we'll be there with smiles. They run after service opportunities like most kids run to Six Flags, and you will be blessing them by giving them the chance to bless you!

It Takes a Village

Take a minute to reflect on some of the moments or experiences that influenced you the most growing up. I frequently do that when I'm running or on a road trip, and I'm always struck by two things: 1.) how much I have to be grateful for, and 2.) how many different people have invested in my life. No one person could have shared all the wisdom I needed to eventually mature into a (relatively) responsible adult. I needed my parents, teachers, coaches, writers, speakers, friends, counselors, and a number of other sources of wisdom in my life. Even still, I was a slow learner who chose to make a teacher out of mistakes, rather than listening to the role models who had a vested interest in my well-being.

The point is that it takes a crowd of people sharing the same message to our kids in order to ensure the message goes through loud and clear. Our prayer at Mercy Street is that mentors and parents will work closely together to have a positive impact on our students. If parents and mentors are on the same page, emphasizing the same message, with the same heart, then our students are more prone to allow the wisdom to seep into their souls.

On January 14, from 9am-12, we will have a joint event at Mercy Street to bring parents and mentors together: it will be our first mentor training coupled with our parent appreciation luncheon. Our hope is that mentors will attend the entire event with their student's parent(s), for a time of learning, relationship building, and honoring our parents. We believe this is essential in truly making an impact on our students and we look forward to seeing all of you there. Lunch will be provided so come hungry, and come ready to learn from one another as you begin nurturing your friendships with others who think the world of your student!

Where the Gospel Meets Real Life

We've been so impressed with the maturity we're seeing in a number of our high school students over the past year! It's crazy to watch some of these kids who have been a part of Mercy Street since they were in the 4th grade, growing into adults who are making responsible choices that will effect their entire lives.

For instance, one of our precious students just received her driver's license the day before her 18th birthday. She is the first person in her entire family to take on the responsibility of getting her license. She took the bus to Desoto for her driver's ed course for several months, begged people to evaluate her progress on a regular basis, went through the long and arduous process of working with the DPS for several weeks, and finally passed her driving test this past week. She cried as she left the DPS because she was so proud of herself for taking the difficult steps in order to become a responsible adult!

It was such a blessing to watch her mentor leading her through the process, just like so many other mentors are walking their students through the steps of applying for colleges or going into the military. They are beautiful images of the holistic ministry we're seeking to do here in West Dallas. It's extremely valuable to teach our kids the Word and to encourage them to follow Jesus first and foremost. But we're also hoping to walk alongside them in all the practical ways that will help our kids flourish into responsible adults. The Gospel of Jesus encompasses the spiritual and the physical, and we seek to embody the way of Christ in both realms as well.

Students becoming Teachers

We're continuing to be blown away by the depth of spiritual growth occurring in our high school students! One of our girls recently started a Bible study at her school. It wasn't long before a teacher, who doesn't know the Lord, began attending the study. After a few weeks of Bible study she said, "This is incredible! I so wish I had heard all of this when I was your age." 


I gasped in wonder. Those are the kinds of things we dream about when we start discipling young people! This particular girl actually came to know Jesus through her relationship with her mentor. We don't share that to sound like we're doing anything special, we're simply pointing students to the One who rescues. We're just blessed to do that alongside so many solid leaders who pour their lives out for our precious kids. Speaking of awesome leaders, meet Anna Jones. She has been heavily invested in our high school girls for over 2 years. She's a ball of fun and a solid woman of the Lord. Leaders like her are the reason we're seeing our students coming to life. 


My name is Anna Jones. I am a Registered Dietitian for the City of Dallas WIC Program (Women, Infants, and Children), where I get to help women and children learn about nutrition and health. I just got back from Kenya on a mission trip with my church, The Village. This was an eye-opening experience and I am praying for the Lord's direction in my life. I love coffee, getting to know people, frozen yogurt, experiencing different cultures, listening to music, walking (outside, to the grocery store, or wherever), being around my close friends, dancing and being silly. What brings me most joy in life is remembering who Christ is and what Christ has done for me. When I reflect back on all that Christ has done in my life, I'm overwhelmed. I am grateful that the Lord allows me to be a part of His big plan of drawing others to Himself. That is humbling. I love being with the High School students at Mercy Street. It really brings me so much joy to be around those girls because: 1) I get to see all of the individual/unique and purposeful personalities God created. They are each so beautiful and talented. 2) I am challenged constantly by them. Either with hard questions about the Bible or by just observing humility in their own lives. They also send me amazing texts with Scripture almost everyday, which is very encouraging. 3) They are FUN to be around. They make me laugh all the time. 4) I love seeing what God is doing in their own lives as well as how God uses these girls to change me and draw me closer to Him.

Meet Shasta!

Our small group leaders are one of the driving forces that make our high school ministry so dynamic. We're blessed to have some of the coolest, most solid men and women of God who pour themselves into our students all week, every week. We want to introduce you to a different one each week so you know who's working with your friends, mentees, students and children. This week, I introduce to you the vibrant ball of energy that is Shasta Patton: 

I graduated from Clark Atlanta University in 2010 with a degree in Radio/TV/Film and a minor in sports broadcasting. Music and sports are my passion!!! I played basketball for 12 years and have worked with professional teams and networks such as: Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves, Fox Sports, etc. I also write and produce all types of music as well. My ultimate goal is to win souls over to Christ through the entertainment industry via Radio/Tv/Film.  The media is so negative and our society's moral values have completely deteriorated. However, I believe that I was Chosen to start holding our generation accountable and winning souls over by reaching out to large masses at one time. Sports and Music has been the devils playground for the last decade....well I plan on changing that!

Which is why I really enjoy working with Mercy Street, It's a direct connection! I'm not only helping out these young people but they are stretching me in so many areas as well. Im yearning to connect with each of them deeply and also be a positive female role model that society rarely highlights.
Only what we do for Christ will last, and serving is what I was placed on this earth to do. I pray that God uses all of us to make these young people's lives a little easier and bring them hope. Prayerfully they'll be able to see Christ more and more each week.

High School Bible Study

We are growing deep and wide in our Tuesday night Bible Study! The depth is coming from both the focused lessons written by Mercy Street staff, and the vibrant faith of our amazing small group leaders.

We spent the month of September on the topic of Friendship. We believe that bad company corrupts good morals, so we wanted to start the year off by challenging our students to FIND good friends and to BE good friends.  The month of October will be devoted to discussion surrounding Faith. We will start by addressing WHY we need a Savior, then spend a couple weeks discussing what a vibrant faith looks like practically. The first three Tuesdays of every month we eat together, play some games, have a short talk that frames our lesson, and then spend about an hour fleshing things out in small group settings. The LAST Tuesday of every month is a PARTY night where we take the kids out for fun and fellowship. Our prayer is that the laid back change of scenery will give the leaders opportunities to establish deeper bonds with our students through Christ-filled conversation and lots of laughter.

We would LOVE for you to get involved in our Bible studies! Mentors, students, parents and friends are all welcome to come hang out with us as we lock arms and walk toward Jesus.

Preview of the next several posts: Small Group Leader bios! We couldn't be more thrilled about the quality of leaders the Lord has led to Mercy Street. You'll have the opportunity to get a glimpse into their lives here on our blog in the weeks to come.

The God Who Provides

I saw an old white man with a long beard and faded collar shirt, screaming in the intersection of Hampton and Singleton the other day.  On the other corner was a young guy in his twenties with a long beard and nasty backpack, screaming and stumbling and obviously strung out on something.  Just the night before I’d watched a car pull up to my neighbor’s house – the man was feigning for meth and they cussed and threatened each other’s lives in the name of the precious drug.  I thought about some friends who abuse prescription drugs so heavily that they’re no longer mentally or emotionally present in our conversations; they’re walking zombies.

The scenes running through my mind only perpetuated my feelings of hopeless about the state of our world.  There’s tragedy on every corner of every neighborhood in the world.  So many people who are abused – physically, sexually, emotionally, verbally.  So many kids are abandoned; whether by dads who bolt at birth or workaholic parents who don’t know the children who sleep in their home.  So many people are suffering from mental illness while others are enslaved to addictions they never intended to start.  All of us our victims and perpetrators, wounded and wounding.

 

I thought about how mentors sign up to meet some of the specific needs of our community in West Dallas, but then mentors have their own burdens that keep distance between them and their students.  Then my shortcomings came to mind and I was discouraged by my inability to do more for our high school girls.  I passed Fiesta, then Pinkston, then the homes in Lakewest, and I felt utterly hopeless for the tragedies of our world to turn around.  Sometimes it feels like the cycle of selfishness is carried by each of us and breathed onto everyone around us, and it can all feel so helpless.  

Our God is the God who provides. That ray of truth burst through my hopeless cloud and brought my cynical thoughts to a halt.  Initially I thought to myself, “Yeah right God.  You’re going to provide new dads for all the abandoned kids in the world?”  And I felt the weight of the truth that our God is the Father who provides for His children.  I tend to reject that idea because I’ve heard it misused so many times – as if God is a big piggy bank who pours out coins on his children when they behave.  But when I choose to reject the TRUTH that our God is a God who provides, I’m choosing to deny the power of Christ’s sacrifice for us.  

I thought about the story of Abraham, where he explicitly refers to God as his provider.  His conversation with his son, Isaac, is such a startling yet refreshing story of faith.  As they were heading up to the altar to offer a sacrifice, Isaac said to his dad: "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"  And Abraham replied, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." (Genesis 22)  Ultimately, God did provide the lamb for that offering – and it’s a foreshadowing of the offering He provides for every single human being to ever walk the face of the earth.  The offering is Jesus Christ, who came in human form, to defeat death and extend an invitation for us to rise with Him in the newness of life.

Because Jesus came to dwell among us, He provided a way out of the addictions that hold us in their grips of death.  Because Jesus died on our behalf, He provided a way for those of us who are drowning in despair to find life.  Jesus provided the ability for us to get off ourselves long enough to enter into someone else’s life – to love them right where they are, in the middle of their mess.  Jesus provided a way for us to share in His work of redemption in the lives of individual students in West Dallas even when we feel like we don’t have any time or answers.  God has provided everything we need to follow Him wholeheartedly and serve the world around us.  The answer is to run after Jesus with all our hearts; to live like He lived and value the things He valued. It seems like an impossible task until we remember He's already made the way for us.