A lot of us can explain “what” we do, but it is the “why” we do it that inspires people. Reflecting back over the many roles that LBE staff and volunteers play in a student’s life – friend, mentor, spiritual advisor, cabin leader, hero, retreat host, program director, cook, first aid administrator, and so on – we have had the increasing realization that caring for the complete child must be holistic. And it is our joy and our goal to help shape young people, and prepare them for the life ahead when they will make more and more of their own choices.
While directing an after-school program deemed “Homework Club,” volunteer Rachel Smith encountered a roadblock in many of the student’s lives, hidden away where no one can see. They had been called “stupid,” told they didn’t have what it takes. Logically, many concluded they shouldn’t bother trying at things like school because it would just lead to failure. But Rachel was able to say, “Hey, this IS within your grasp.” You can LEARN anything. And as she helped shape young minds, she and other volunteers encountered a hunger and thirst for spiritual things as well, a desire to know God, which they were able to speak into.
This is just one story among thousands of how children, teens, and families are encountering unconditional love and acceptance through ministries like this one. We invite you to respond, to let your heart get soft. There is an invitation here to follow the promptings of your heart. That could look like partnering with us through a donation, volunteering in a place that you keep wondering if you should volunteer at, or starting a club of your own. Whatever it may look like, we know that Isaiah 58 in the Bible promises that if we will share, if we will choose to see the needs around us, “then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard” (v 8).
Please, help us help kids prepare for life.
