So I've mentored this little girl (now almost 12 years old!) for about a year now. It has been an INCREDIBLE experience. My eyes have been opened in so many ways. It's one thing to say you understand poverty, it's another thing to see it lived out in the life of someone you care about. But let's not start there yet because that's just one factor of who she is, a very important influence, but only a part of who she is. My "Little Sister" is incredible. She soaks up everything that we talk about. I talked about a book club that I'm a part of and the next week she told me about a book club she started at school. The best part was, that they were reading the same book that my "20 something" book club also considered doing! Oh, "Twilight!" A good majority of the things we did together were some "first time" experiences for her and each quickly became her "favorite new pizza place" or "favorite new cupcake." She was so open to trying new things and so willing to incorporate what we talked about in our conversations. The conversations were very slow at first; I had to get comfortable with silence. One time she told me, "I want to do something big with my life!" When I asked her what she meant she said, "Like help homeless people and stuff." Then she went on to say, "When I get older and get a job, I want to buy my mom a new car! But don't tell her, because I want it to be a surprise!"So I tried to give her opportunities to do something big and to encourage her in her pursuit of her dreams. The cycle of poverty that she is in may well be very hard to break, but I think that she can do it. And really, if she continues to live in poverty and is happy, I'm ok with that. I just want her to be happy and to live a full life. To me a full life used to consist of things like going to college, having a good job, buying a house, buying a boat, and living in a good neighborhood. Now I more than ever realize that those are very temporary things. I hope that as she grows she realizes that as well. It's not that I don't want her to have dreams, I just want her to realize what is really important. I want her to experience God in her life and true happiness because of His love for her.
It's interesting to compare my life with her family's life. Her mom is actually about a year younger than me. Her mom has 3 kids and one on the way. I don't know how much schooling she's had. She lives in a very poor and unsafe neighborhood. It seems like she is stuck in a cycle of poverty that she will never be out of. By all appearances, most people would say, I have the better life. I'm single, have no children, have a good and stable job, live in a decent apartment with nice furnishing, a decent car, a checking account, and have a variety of options for where my life will go.
What people fail to see though, is that she's a great mom. She loves her kids and would do anything for them. She does want "better" for her children. She does whatever she needs to so they can be in good schools and get a good education. She sacrifices things for herself so her kids can have what they need and even a little of what they want. So many people struggle with the fact that people who live in poverty spend money on entertainment, nice clothes, nice cars. Well I used to. And still sometimes do. But I do understand that they want to enjoy life too and that's what we've been taught we need to enjoy life: nice clothes, video games, nice TV, nice car. . .so maybe they are just chasing the American dream the only way they know how.
Well that was a pretty long tangent, but all of this to say, I'm learning. I'm loving my time with my Little Sister and so sad that it will officially end soon as I'm moving to Houston, but am so greatful that I've had this time to spend with her and to learn from her.
I volunteered to mentor because I wanted to make a difference in a child's life. And while I do think I did that, she also made a huge impact on mine. I hope I don't forget what I've learned.
If you ever get the chance to mentor someone, TAKE IT. God has each of us in a place where the experiences we've gone through, talents that we have, resources that we access to, lessons we've learned can impact someone's life. It doesn't have to be through an official mentoring organization like I did (Big Brothers Big Sisters) but opportunities abound to impact someone's life. It's well worth the investment. Just do it. And prepare to learn a little more about life.
www.mentorakid.org is how you could get involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters if you are interested!
No comments:
Post a Comment