Some see a liability, but we see leadership potential.
I received a call from one of our City Life Volunteers. He asked if I was available to give a young man named Craig a ride to Juvenile Hall for probation. I had some time in my day, and was able to go pick Craig up after speaking with his mom. His mom had no money for gas, which is why Craig needed a ride. As we drove to his probation appointment, I was able to chat with him about some of his past experiences we’ve had with him and hear more of his story. I offered to connect him with Rick, one of our YFC mentors who is a part of our City Life program and would be a great mentor for Craig.
Craig gets off probation in a few months. He is at the point in his life where he can go one way or the other. We want to see Craig choose a new way of life with Jesus… instead of the way towards more gang violence, probation, jail, and/or death.
While others have seen Craig as being a liability – we see Craig as a child of God, a courageous overcomer with leadership potential – in our ministry, in the basketball program that Rick offers and in God’s greater Kingdom purposes. God is like that. He uses the unlikely – to reach the unlikely.
These are the kinds of incredible kids we get to work with in City Life. Awesome opportunities happen like this, to enter into a young person’s pivotal moment and be there for them. We can’t pass them up. It happens one relationship at a time.
Thanks to a relationship that Craig had with one volunteer, and my relationship with Craig’s mother, we were able to get Craig to an important juvenile hall appointment, and one step closer to being off probation.
This one appointment also opened doors to connect Craig to a potential mentor, to Christ-centered conversations and an invitation to YFC Camp.
Please pray for Craig to choose Jesus and a new way of life in Him.