Garrett and Jill would like to say THANK YOU for....

• challenging us in our personal walks with Christ!
• taking time to value the comradery with the staff at Mercy Street
• loving the whole family of your mentee
• seeing your mentorship as not "just another volunteer opportunity", but an important part of your life to which you give your full devotion
• your consistency week after week
• being willing to step up to take the challenge to mentor
• a "whatever it takes" attitude to help
• your generosity with your own money to help Mercy Street
• being creative and thinking diligently on ways you can love, serve, and challenge your mentee
• the ways you include your mentee in your other personal relationships
• the way you invite others to be a part of what God is doing in West Dallas
• your determination to have lasted this long... to weather the storms you have faced
• being flexible
• the ways you are available to help in any way at Mercy Street
• the times we have showed up to an event in the community and you are already there supporting a cheering on your mentee
• volunteering to help lead bible study each week
• collaborating with others at mentor trainings
• spreading the word about Mercy Street
• the seriousness you take to live a life that screams to your mentee... follow me as I follow Christ...
• surrendering your own plan for your mentee's life... for HIS plan!

Connecting the dots... choices I make today (good & bad) affect my personal and career future!

At the beginning of October, many middle schoolers along with their mentors gathered at Mercy Street to hear from eight loving and passionate adults to learn about different career options.  It was incredible to watch how engaged the students were in listening to the adults share their testimony of what they do on a daily basis in their job, the course of schooling they took to be successful in their career, and what they intentionally denied their flesh with the things of this world, in order to achieve their dreams in their occupation.

Euraiya and Staci in front of Mercy Street



Garrett giving a charge to think beyond today



John brought his fireman uniform for others to try on

Peter, current teacher in West Dallas, discussing with some possible future teachers



Ex pro football player, Derrick (on right), who graduated from Edison Middle School, with Ike and mentee Keith



Interactive Job Fair THIS Saturday, Oct 8th

Our next middle school only event is right around the corner ... please RSVP on the Evite below…Every young person needs to have dreams of their future?And every young person needs help connecting the choices they make today to that future.

We have designed a morning for you to help your mentee make that connection.  We are calling it, an “interactive career fair,” which means on October 8th from 9am-Noon we will host men and women of different occupations in different rooms of the Mercy Street campus. You and your mentee are invited to come and learn from each professional, during sets of 15 minute interactive presentations.

We believe this event can be a time God uses to spark conversation about your mentee’s future. The overall hope is to help kids see that their choices today (both bad & good) affect the opportunities they will have tomorrow, yet also helping them see the amazing potential they have!

If you are interested in attending please click here to sign up via Evite or shoot Garrett or Jill an email and reserve a complimentary lunch of delicious authentic Mexican food included for you and your student.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Our side is krunker than krunker than your side!

We had a blast at Outback Pine Cove in the beginning of August!  We took about fifty middle school kids near Columbus, Texas to enjoy some fun adventures... horse back riding, basketball, archery, BB guns, blobbing, paintball, kayaking, zip line, climbing wall, and the all important P-O-O-L!

Click Here to check out MANY MORE pictures posted on Pine Cove's page: Outback - Week 11

Oh where did the summer go?

Camp is Sunday and school is right around the corner.  The summer has slipped right through our fingers.  I must say I am a little glad to see it go with the type of heat North Texas has had recently.  I am just ready for some rain.  Thanks to everyone who attended the mentor training!  Our next one is right around the bend on September 17th.  We ask all mentors to show for at least 1 training a year.   If your student is going to camp we encourage you to meet with them upon their return and help process their experience and all they have learned.  Just bombard them with questions. Lastly we are bringing on a new staff member here at Mercy Street.  Mindy is passing the baton to Jill Harmeyer as soon as camp wraps up.  Jill will introduce herself personally to all female mentors when she arrives.

Here is a pic of Jill!

Edison Middle School CHARGE

Parents, Faculty, Administration, and 8th grade students I count it a special privilege to address you today.  I have been called upon to submit a charge to our 8th graders before they take their first steps into high school.  My first words must be that I love you guys.

Many of you are what convinced my wife and I that West Dallas should be where we call home.  Several  of you come by our home and share meals around our table or have taught me how to dance or broken all of our lamps during epic wrestling battles.  I think you 8th graders are incredible people and I am thrilled to watch your future unfold.  

Before I send you on your way I come bearing a charge from those who have gone before you. In my 5 years here in West Dallas I have spent a lot of time with people just a few years farther down the road than you.  And I come bearing a message from them.  I could put 50 people on stage that would share this same message.

Choose a different road.  I have watched as guys just can’t find a job anywhere.  I have watched as girls try to hustle to find money to feed their newborns.  I have watched as guys get handcuffed and put into police cars.  People have come to me and said, “if I just would have paid more attention in school.” Or “if I just wouldn’t have started hangin’ with those guys.” Or “if I just wouldn’t have let him kiss me.”  I spend a lot of time with a lot of people who have regrets.  People who had big dreams but made small choices leading them in the opposite direction of those dreams.  My charge comes from them.

Choose a different road.  Giving your absolute best effort in school is one step down that different road.  But you can be the smartest kid in the class and still go to the pen for dealing on the corner.  You must choose to live for something more than money, something more than sex, something more than popularity or cars or your swagger.  That is the road almost everyone is choosing.  May I and those that have gone before you urge you to choose a different road than what you’ve seen before.  Try something new.  Our neighborhood needs you.  Those younger need someone to look up to.  May you have the courage to rebel against what is normal and stand on your own two feet.  Few men and few women have ever been that brave.

Camp is on the horizon!

 

Vk2 students are invited to join us for a week at Pine Cove this summer.  The dates are August 7-14th.  Mentors can help in two ways!  

1. Help get your student signed up when applications are released in June.  

2.  Consider going with us to Pine Cove and being your student's and 5 other student's counselor.  We can't do camp without volunteers.  Mentors in the past have said spending an entire week with their student was one of the best things they did to improve their relationship.  Please let us know as soon as possible if you are interested.

Welcome to our new blog!

Welcome to our little spot in the massive world of internet communication.  Our hope is to have a place mentors (of middle schoolers) can easily access with all the information they need.  We hope this blog can be a place you keep up to date on pertinent West Dallas and mentoring information as well as a place you can find some encouragement.  One way to know if we have made a post on the blog is to type your email in on the right side where it says "follow by email".  That way each time a post is made you will receive an email letting you know.  Just an idea!