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Mentoring in a group setting takes on a whole new set of challenges compared to individual mentoring. You show up and pour into multiple kids all at the same time. You need to be able to see not just the needs of one person, but multiple kids simultaneously and meet those needs all at the same time. You get pulled in multiple directions and need to be able to handle that all with grace and poise. It’s a challenge, but it’s also incredibly rewarding to get to see the growth of each student and the fruit of the seeds you’ve been planting throughout the year. This week, Caitlyn Moudy, the instructional coach in Forerunner Mentoring’s K-6 After School Mentoring Program joins Josh on his summer takeover to talk through how her role as a mentor has evolved in the last three years, who on Forerunner’s staff has poured into her, some fire scriptures that hit home for mentors and teachers, and why she shows up every day to mentor the boys at Forerunner.
Purchase the You Can Mentor book:
You Can Mentor: How to Impact Your Community, Fulfill the Great Commission, and Break Generational Curses
youcanmentor.com
Purchase the You Can Mentor book:
You Can Mentor: How to Impact Your Community, Fulfill the Great Commission, and Break Generational Curses
youcanmentor.com
Creators and Guests
What is You Can Mentor: A Christian Youth Mentoring Podcast?
You Can Mentor is a network that equips and encourages mentors and mentoring leaders through resources and relationships to love God, love others, and make disciples in their own community. We want to see Christian mentors thrive.
We want to hear from you! Send any mentoring questions to hello@youcanmentor.com, and we'll answer them on our podcast. We want to help you become the best possible mentor you can be. Also, if you are a mentoring organization, church, or non-profit, connect with us to join our mentoring network or to be spotlighted on our show.
Please find out more at www.youcanmentor.com or find us on social media. You will find more resources on our website to help equip and encourage mentors. We have downloadable resources, cohort opportunities, and an opportunity to build relationships with other Christian mentoring leaders.
You can mentor is a podcast about the power of building relationships with kids from hard places in the name of Jesus. Every episode will help you overcome common mentoring obstacles and give you the confidence you need to invest in the lives of others. You can mentor.
Speaker 2:Hey, mentors. Just a reminder about the You Can Mentor book. It's titled You Can Mentor, How to Impact Your Community, Fulfill the Great Commission, and Break Generational Curses. The whole point of this book is to equip and encourage mentors with new tools and ideas on how to make the most of their mentor mentee relationship. If you're a mentor, hey, go pick it up.
Speaker 2:And if you're a mentoring organization, pick some up for all of your mentors. If you would like to order mass copies, like more than 20, send an email to me, zach@youcanmentor.com, and we will get you guys a special price. But go and pick up that book. It's good. You can mentor.
Speaker 3:Welcome back to the You Can Mentor podcast. My name is Joshua Manning. I am still taking over the podcast. I've I've had a coup. I've taken over Zach and John.
Speaker 3:Found out, what, about 4 weeks ago that I'm doing this. And Zach had really, really good feedback. So he's he's given the green light. He's on board. Today, I'm here with my very special guest, Caitlin Moudy.
Speaker 3:She is our instructional coach in the k three six department at 4 Runner. Fun fact about Caitlin, I used to say her name was Moody. And I worked with her for we're coming up on 2 years now. And for 18 months of that, I called her Caitlin Moody until one day I heard her say her name. And I was like, wait.
Speaker 3:I've been pronouncing this wrong the whole time.
Speaker 4:This is a common occurrence in my life.
Speaker 3:Is it really?
Speaker 4:It is. Most people think it's Moody.
Speaker 3:Most people think it's Moody?
Speaker 4:Yeah. Wow. Just not as cool as Mountie.
Speaker 3:I yeah. I mean, Moody's I mean, that kinda has, like, negative connotations. Right? Like, oh, you're so moody. Yeah.
Speaker 3:I'm out.
Speaker 4:The jokes come.
Speaker 3:The jokes come. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4:You're so moody. That's your name. Like, that's not even my name, though.
Speaker 3:Wow. That's I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I have pronounced your name wrong for 18 months.
Speaker 4:It's okay.
Speaker 3:Great.
Speaker 4:All good.
Speaker 3:Well, Caitlin, how are you doing today?
Speaker 4:I'm doing great.
Speaker 3:Great. How are you? I'm I'm doing great. We're we're getting through this. Side note for all of our listeners, our studio is undergoing some construction at the moment, and there's not another quiet place to record this.
Speaker 3:So I'm doing my best to to cut it all out. But if you hear some weird banging or saw noises or whatever, that's what's going on. So, you know, there's grace there. Right? So yeah.
Speaker 3:As you know, we've been doing a just a series on why I mentor. I've been going through and interviewing the coaches here at 4 Runner, especially now that the school year is winding down and we're all about to go on break for the summer. It's just the perfect time to be able to to do this. So we've had coach Taj. We've had coach Bailey.
Speaker 3:And now we've got Caitlyn on the podcast today. So, Caitlyn, who are we? Who is who's Caitlyn? What does she do? What does she like?
Speaker 3:What are her hobbies? What are her host dreams? Introduce us to Caitlyn.
Speaker 4:That's a loaded question. What time I feel like I need some some prompts for that.
Speaker 3:I gave you, like, 7.
Speaker 4:Well, I really like basketball.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 4:Love basketball. Just and I, fun fact, think that the WNBA is better than the NBA.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's a that's a hot take.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Not many people agree.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Not many people agree, but watch it. You will find out.
Speaker 3:And you went you just recently, like, won a trip to Washington. Is that where you went?
Speaker 4:Yeah. I did. I saw one of Sue Bird's last games in Seattle versus Las Vegas aces. Nice. But it was the best.
Speaker 3:It was the best. And that was that was for spring break. Right? Mhmm. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Okay. So you like basketball. Who else is she? Like, come on.
Speaker 3:Introduce us to Caitlin. Like, tell us about yourself, how old you are, where you're from, growing up, all that.
Speaker 4:I am 23. I grew up in Plano, Texas, so very close. Been around Dallas my whole life. Been in 4 Runner for about 3 years. Only worked here for 2 years, but been around 4 Runner for 3 years.
Speaker 3:Love the kids. Experience with 4 Runner prior to coming on staff?
Speaker 4:Yeah. As a volunteer. So I volunteered as a tutor, and I came every Monday just to work on homework and whatnot with the boys.
Speaker 3:Oh, okay. Gotcha. I didn't know that. Yeah. I didn't know you were a tutor first.
Speaker 3:Well, okay. I guess that answers the how did you get involved with mentoring at 4 Runner? Actually, how did you hear about 4 Runner in the first place? Like, you came on as a tutor, so how did you how did you hear about them and and jump on board as tutoring and then eventually making your way to coach?
Speaker 4:Someone who previously worked here had told me about what 4 Runner was, and I didn't really know them, but at the time. But they were saying, like, oh, I think you would like this. Kinda fit in line with what I was looking for.
Speaker 3:Which was what?
Speaker 4:I was looking for something Christ centered with kids. Actually, my vision was not necessarily elementary school kids because I was in school to teach high school age students. And so I wasn't looking for elementary, but God knew. And so he put me here. But I was just looking for something to pour into kids and teach them about who God is and particularly ones who might not get that experience in a church or on a daily basis.
Speaker 3:Gotcha. So you kind of already even while you were in school for education, you were look you were trying to ask yourself, like, how do I use this in a way to glorify God? Or how do I, like, how do I proclaim the gospel to kids who may not ever get that exposure?
Speaker 4:Yeah. Absolutely. Because I think there's always the route that you can go of going into a Christian school, like a Christian program or something like that. But if you go into the public schools and that type of environment, it's different, and they don't always know they don't always get the experience Yeah. Of who God is and what it is to know
Speaker 3:him. Right. It's it's different because I mean, it's the idea of separation of church and state that we have in in America. Right? Is the public school system is run essentially by the government.
Speaker 3:And so because we have this idea of separation of church and state, we like, it's it's much more difficult to be able to talk about faith in any way within the public school system. Whereas, you know, most, if not all, Christian schools are are private. And so this doesn't apply there because they're they're privately funded. They are not funded by the state. And so they can kinda set up their own rules and things like that.
Speaker 3:And that and that's beautiful in that it gives them the latitude to be able to have those conversations and give them the exposure. But, you know, what happens to the kids who are coming from a hard place, who don't have the resources to be able to go to a private school? Like, everybody deserves education, and that's what the public school system is for. But because it's state funded, that creates some barriers there to being able to have conversations about faith. And that's something that, at least from my perspective, being in the junior high and it's so wild to me that 4 Runners after school program is truly in the junior high.
Speaker 3:Like, we meet in their library. That's been something that's been on my mind, like, at the forefront of my mind the whole year. Right? It's been like, this is not normal. Like, this is so weird that we're and so cool.
Speaker 3:Like, it's a literal miracle from God that we actually get to be in the school yelling at the top of our lungs the manhood declaration every day and having forge you know, having church on Fridays and worshiping. And all of this is happening inside a school building. And that the the administration of the school has actually opened their doors and made it so, like, welcoming for us. I mean, JT and I have participated in so many things in the junior high, like, their programming. Right?
Speaker 3:We we play them the staff or students game that the school puts on for their students. Right? It's the the school teachers play a basketball game against the students, and we were invited to play in that. You know, things like that. Or, you know, we we just found out that there's a whole page in the yearbook of the public school for 4 Runner.
Speaker 3:And so it's just these little kind of things that's so cool to see how God has worked in that. And so I can see how there's that desire to impact or reach the the students that may not get the advantage of going to a Christian school, like, there's still a need there. And so I love I love how that's like your heart is, you know, even even having going gone to school for education and knowing you wanted to be a teacher, but then kinda backpedaling and be like, okay. I'm still teaching, but, specifically, I wanna reach this this group. That's so cool.
Speaker 3:So you you alluded to you went to school. You were were originally gonna be a high school teacher, And now you're a elementary school instructional coach. You started as a well, you started as a tutor, then you became a grade coach. And then now you're an instructional coach. And you hinted that, like, God knew really what was better, which, obviously, he does because God's all knowing.
Speaker 3:But why do you say that? Like, why do you say that this was a better choice?
Speaker 4:I think it combines everything that not only that I want to do, but that he has called me to in one setting. So how we were just saying is we get to teach kids who aren't in private schools, private Christian schools. They might not even be in churches. They might not have even learned about Jesus, but we get to bring them in to a Christ centered place and teach them who he is, what the Bible says, and how to be a man of God. So it combines the Christian aspect with the outreach to the kids from hard places and the ones who might not know about him.
Speaker 4:And that's kind of where I would like to head and where I've always been focused on is just the ones who haven't heard because everyone deserves to hear of Jesus. And that's obviously, an end goal of every Christian is to spread the gospel throughout the whole world, and we can't do that if we're only in the church.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I mean, Matthew what is it? Matthew 28 specifically says go. Right? Go and make disciples.
Speaker 3:And I know that's a big part of my church's focus is outreach, not just within our church and and building up our church, but it's, you know, going and proclaiming the gospel to this we say to the city of the nation and the nations of the world. Right? So to the city of Dallas, to the nation you know, the United States. And we have people who get sent out regularly in church plants. And we've planted churches in, I don't even know how many, at least 20 different cities.
Speaker 3:And then we actually have international church plants or church movements, missionary movements in some places where Christianity is either persecuted or strictly, like, segregated against or whatever. And we have people on the ground there doing that work. And so you're right. Like, I I agree. Everybody deserves to hear the gospel and hear about Jesus.
Speaker 3:And some people are called to the the nations, but I know I'm called to, specifically, the city of Dallas. And it sounds like you are too. And when did you when did you kinda get a sense of that calling? I'm curious.
Speaker 4:To Dallas specifically? Or
Speaker 3:To Dallas, to 4 Runner, to students who are in the public school system.
Speaker 4:I would say around when I was 18 because previously, I grew up in the church. And so I knew about Jesus, but I did not have relationship with him. And so there was a steady decline of faithfulness, and I kind of I never did not believe in him, but I didn't follow him.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 4:And so no one in the church and no one in my life kinda noticed that. But some teachers I had in high school, you could tell that they knew him, and you could see that light, and it kinda just projected outward. And I would see that, and it would make my hard situations better, and it would pull me closer to God in them. And I was like I would look at them and be like, dang. I wanna be like that.
Speaker 4:I I know it's God. It's evident that it's God. So what am I missing?
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:And so it got me back on track to following God into just seeking him, seeking that relationship, and that happened in the public school. So I and I see those kids now and then that were just they're just missing something.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:All they need is somebody to be like, hey. I see you. I notice you, and there is a better way.
Speaker 3:And I love you.
Speaker 4:And I love you. Yeah. They would tell me every single day, I love you all your life. Love you all your life. That's something I tell the boys now because it impacted me so much, and it's been, like, 6 years.
Speaker 4:So talk about powerful. Like, hey. There's nothing you can do that that will make me stop loving you. Because that's what Jesus tells us every second. Like, you're important, and I see you, and you're not alone.
Speaker 3:It's loving them with true agape love, right, and this true unconditional love. So how did you like, you you you said you saw the kind of the fruit in the lives of your teachers, and that kinda pulled you back in. But how did that like, what was that process? How did you get from, oh, I see this, and I want this. You know, I want to experience this, and I know it's God.
Speaker 3:But how did like, what was the kind of the practical or the guiding part of that, like, that process?
Speaker 4:Honestly, I think it was seeing it consistently. Because throughout the entire 2 years that I knew them, I could see God. And while in the beginning, I wasn't close to him, I didn't have any perspective of that. Seeing them have that and project it outwardly Mhmm. Kind of it's suddenly built because, you know, kids mimic what they see.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 4:Even adults, we mimic what we see. We mimic what we're around. And so seeing them do that slowly translated into me doing that as well. And I don't think I noticed. I think it was like a light switch.
Speaker 3:Gotcha.
Speaker 4:And boom, all of a sudden, the lights came on.
Speaker 3:Gotcha. Was it like having conversations with them and be like, how do you how do you stay so close to God? Or like you say, you like you saw it and mimicked it. And I'm sure there was, you know, mimicking, like, their behavior. But mimicking joy and experiencing the fruit of the spirit joy are 2 very different things.
Speaker 3:Right? I can pretend to be joyful all day long. But, eventually, if I'm doing that by my own strength, then that's going to fade. Right? You know?
Speaker 4:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:The the old or the phrase that Zach likes to say, if the joy of the Lord is your strength, then you're only as strong as your joy.
Speaker 4:Oof.
Speaker 3:Have you ever heard that?
Speaker 4:Yeah. Bailey tells me that.
Speaker 3:Okay. Yeah. And, you know, it's that idea. It's like if like, I can pretend to be joyful. And, low key, there are days in program where I'm like, I'm not feeling it.
Speaker 3:And I really don't wanna be here right now because this, that, and the other thing are going on. And I'm just exhausted emotionally, but I have 12 kids I gotta pour into right now. Mhmm. And then I look at, like, JT, who is my grade coach in the junior high department, and he literally comes in every day like the most joyful person I have ever met. And I'm just like, dang.
Speaker 3:I'm challenged because I'm like, I want that. But how do I, like, how do I get there to the point where it's truly the fruit of the spirit? And I know the answer there is, like, seeking God and pursuing God. Right? The more I the more I'm in the word, the more I'm doing the things that are building relationship with him.
Speaker 3:Like, I've even seen that in myself where where those fruits are more evident. And then when that kinda falls off because I get busy or whatever, like, that's when I tend to have a harder time. So I guess my question in all of that is, how did you learn kind of the practical side of that if nobody was really, like, specifically guiding you and saying, hey. This is what I do.
Speaker 4:Right. I think I had enough knowledge of who God was to know that what you're looking at matters. So either you're looking at Jesus toward him or you're looking toward the world and yourself and your flesh. And so to to have that switch of joy that you strive to have versus joy of the spirit versus the spirit, I think it just comes from what you're looking at. Keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus through the word, through prayer, through worship.
Speaker 4:And that's something we all grow in every like, all the time. We're still there's so many things that I don't know and that I'm still learning on the daily that
Speaker 3:That's why Paul describes our faith as a profound mystery. Yeah. Yeah. It's because there are things that we truly probably will never understand until either the second coming of Christ or we go to him, whichever comes first. Right.
Speaker 3:So
Speaker 4:Well, Anna's just you're never gonna get those things apart from God. We know that. But it is so easy to look at yourself and look at others in the world and try to reach for those things and try to pull it out. And, oh, maybe if I just do this, I'll be happy. Maybe if I just become friends with this person,
Speaker 3:I
Speaker 4:won't things won't be so hard. But that's never the case. It fails every single time because you're not looking at Christ, and Christ fulfills it all.
Speaker 3:And He fills all those holes.
Speaker 4:He does, and that is a hard lesson to learn.
Speaker 3:It's a very hard lesson to learn.
Speaker 4:He pushes your face in the dirt sometimes, but it's worth it because in the end, it makes him your everything.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I like to refer to it as not necessarily he pushes my face in the dirt, but there have definitely been a few experiences in my life where he's, like, really met me in a dark place. And I refer to it as he's hit me over the head with a 2 by 4 Yeah. Because he's like, bro. Like, I'm right here.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Well, the rod for the shepherd. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Exactly.
Speaker 4:Keeps the sheep in line.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:Keeps them close, rather.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Well but, I mean, the rod is a symbol of discipline. Right? And so kind of circling back to mentorship, like, that's what we do. Right?
Speaker 3:As part of our job is a lot of discipline with with the students just because I mean, they're growing up and, you know, everybody makes mistakes, and we get that. And that's that's what grace and love is for. Right? Is, you know, hey. Like, just because you've done a bad thing, a, you're not a bad kid, but, b, like, I don't love you any less.
Speaker 3:Right? Again, true agape love. But there is also still consequences for our actions, and there is still going to be some discipline. So, you know, it's like the rod I'm thinking of Psalm 23 where it says, his rod and his staff, they comfort me. Right?
Speaker 3:His rod being, like, his discipline, his his intentional, like, guidance and correction of, like, no. This is the path you go down. Like, that's a comfort because I know that at the end of the day, like, his way is so much better than than my way. Right? And so, yeah, I I love the picture of the rods.
Speaker 3:Right. So okay. So you've you came back to God in terms of pursuing a personal personal relationship with him around 18, kinda in high school, that in that area, and just started kinda mimicking the teachers that you had that you saw the slide in, which that eventually ultimately led into about this time last year and a story there that we'll get into here in a second. But I guess my question there is who else I mean, these teachers, in a sense, were mentoring you. Who else in your life has been a mentor for you kinda growing up or even coming on staff, things like that?
Speaker 4:I think growing up, not that there weren't really great Christians around me, but I wouldn't say that there was someone who was intentionally guiding me or seeing the things that I didn't see because that's a difference that I realized coming to forerunner is mentors see what you don't. And so a good example of that is Beth, our own forerunner
Speaker 3:Director of operations.
Speaker 4:Best of the best. She mentored me last summer, and that was honestly just, like, really life altering because she saw what I could never see in me, and that's empowering.
Speaker 3:Like what?
Speaker 4:Like, I'm not a bold person. I'm not it's not comfortable. And so we would have a lot of conversations about how to be bold even though I was like, Beth, I really don't like this. Like, this is not comfortable. I don't want to come off as prideful.
Speaker 4:I don't want to be seen in that way.
Speaker 3:Says the woman who's literally sitting in this room recording a podcast episode right now.
Speaker 4:Sironic.
Speaker 3:That's pretty bold.
Speaker 4:Well, thanks to Beth and God. But yeah. So just in the sense of boldness, but also we talked a lot about vision and mission and how identifying those things matter, and they give you clear direction. So, yeah, it kinda shifted everything in an empowering sense of like, hey. No.
Speaker 4:I see you. I love you, and I and I believe in you. And that's that's the goal with the boys every day too.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 4:Is it just I see you. I love you, and I see your potential. You can do anything. And something that I try to tell them as often as possible is that they're gonna change the world. Because every single one of them, whether it is in Dallas, whether it is in their families, whether it is in the nations, they have power to change the entire world.
Speaker 4:Yeah. And I don't of course, they're children, so they don't necessarily recognize that. But
Speaker 3:Or even know what that means.
Speaker 4:Yeah. But they change me every single day. Yeah. They teach me things that I don't know. They teach me things that God is trying to tell me that I'm too stubborn to listen to.
Speaker 3:Like what?
Speaker 4:Think the most common one is how he shows up for me. Like, they'll ask me questions that I would ask God. Like, one boy, not too long ago, we're outside, and I was like, hey. I love you, on his way to his car. And he stopped me and goes, why do you love me?
Speaker 4:And I'm like, wow. Let me tell you. And God does the same thing. I'm like, god. Why do you even care?
Speaker 4:Why do you love me? Because, I mean, we're sinful. We're flesh. Like, there's no goodness in us apart from him. So, god, why do you love me?
Speaker 3:And Why did you choose to send your son?
Speaker 4:Yeah. Yeah. Like, I'm not worth it, but he says otherwise. And so, yeah, they teach me that sort of things. They just draw me closer to him.
Speaker 3:That's so good. Yeah. Alright. Well, that kind of answers the next question of how does mentoring affect you. You already hinted at it, but more stories.
Speaker 3:Like, I could honestly, I could sit here and just listen to all the stories from k through 6. Because, you know, we just talked about it. I'm in junior high. Like, I'm in the school. I'm a mile down the road.
Speaker 3:I don't get to see what y'all do on a regular basis, unlike last year where we were all in the same building, and it was just kind of a quick, like, pop over after all my kids have left. And, you know, there's still 2 or 3 or whatever Right. In in k through 6. So, you know, there were the the relationship aspect of, like, the camaraderie between coworkers was easier back or last year than this year. So, yeah, just more stories.
Speaker 3:I want I wanna hear more stories about k k through 6 and how how they change you and the the highs and lows of of program and the crazy. And I know there was there's been a few stories of things like backpacks going through windows and fire alarms getting pulled.
Speaker 4:Oh, yeah.
Speaker 3:All all the things. But even the even in those, I think there's things that are being taught. So
Speaker 4:Oh, yeah. In the good and the bad, it's always it's inches. Right?
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:Inches that compound to a testimony of God. And one story that comes to mind actually is how who you are mentoring sees and listens and mimics what you do and what you say, kinda how we were talking about earlier. One kid, he he asked me during girl work, which is a time where we do homework and and reading, and he asked me he says, coach Kate, can I practice my handwriting? I'm like, sure. Come up with a story.
Speaker 4:You can you can practice your handwriting if you write a story. And a couple days later, he's still doing this story. He's still working on it, And he point he calls me over and points to it, and he goes, look what I'm writing about. And it does not say my name, but it's my entire testimony
Speaker 3:on the paper. Really?
Speaker 4:Yes. And I have never sat down and just told them the whole story of how God brought me to him. But through the pieces that I have shared, he remembered, and he wrote it down into a culmination of one story on his paper.
Speaker 3:And, like, filled in the gaps.
Speaker 4:He filled in the gaps, and he saw Jesus in it. And that's not something I ever would have expected him to do, but it just goes to show that you don't have to necessarily have these powerful words and powerful moments all the time. Mhmm. But just sharing what is true, sharing what you've experienced and where God was in that, they see it.
Speaker 3:And just showing up.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Just showing up.
Speaker 3:Wow. That's that's amazing. How old is this kid?
Speaker 4:5th grade.
Speaker 3:5th grade. Okay.
Speaker 4:Mhmm. He's getting baptized this year too.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah? Mhmm. That's exciting.
Speaker 4:It is.
Speaker 3:And speaking of baptisms, that's just another way that I don't know if it was mentoring or being a mentor changed or affected you or if that's just part of kind of the testimony of, like, coming like, being mentored in a way by your teachers and and coming back to, like, learning what a personal relationship with God is and and those kinds of things. But you actually got baptized last year. Right?
Speaker 4:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:As at the 4 Runner Baptism. So At
Speaker 4:the 4 Runner baptisms. Let's go.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And you're the only coach that's done that. So yeah. It's man, just so many threads. I I love 4 Runner.
Speaker 4:Right. I could say it a 100 times. Right. I love 4 Runner.
Speaker 3:I love 4 Runner. You know, it's what we do matters. And it is it it's something that's not from a place of, like, arrogance or pride or anything like that. No. We we do what we do because we're called to do it.
Speaker 3:Right? Yeah. I know I'm called to do it. I know or you you know you're called to do it. I think everybody here would say the same thing, that they're called to be a mentor in some capacity at 4 Runner.
Speaker 3:Even if they're full time staff and they're not in program every day. Like Coach Steven, our executive director, is still a mentor to one of one of the kids. Right? And coach Beth is finding people to mentor. You know?
Speaker 3:Like, we we all mentor in some capacity, even the people who are not in the group mentoring setting of the after school program.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So Well, and I think too that a commonality between all of that is that nobody really would say, oh, yeah. I know what to do in all situations. Oh, I know exactly how to mentor every person that I'm mentoring. But it's the pauses where you pause and you ask God, what do I say?
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:What am I supposed to do in this situation? Because it's kinda like Hebrew 10 24/25. Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, but encouraging one another. And all the more as you see the day approaching, like, love, good works, don't give up meeting. Those are kind of broad terms.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:And when it comes to a kid being so angry, he's pushing other other kids, he's throwing chairs, and you don't know what to do. What, like, what is there to do?
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:You pause and you go, god, like, help me out. I I don't know what I'm doing. Yeah. So you don't have to know all the right answers and all the right all the right things to do all the time. You just have to show up and be willing to ask God what to do because he'll tell you.
Speaker 4:That's, like, one of the biggest lessons I've learned is God will tell you how to respond to these kids and to the people around you.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I know. I've I've had that experience too. And the the verse that came to mind for me was James 15. Right?
Speaker 3:If any of you lacks wisdom, let a mascot who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But, like, I've had some of those experiences too, especially last year where it was my 1st year. And, like I mean, you at least had some kind of frame of reference for for mentoring students and the fact that you went to school for education. Yeah. I went to school for something completely unrelated.
Speaker 3:I went to school for this stuff. Right? Podcasting and and sound engineering and lighting design, things like that. I had, like, no frame of reference for kids. And then last year, just being like, okay.
Speaker 3:1, I got hired, which is a god thing in and of itself. But then, like, I I did not know that I was being hired as the site lead until training started last year.
Speaker 4:Wow.
Speaker 3:So I walked in, and they're like, yeah. Make sure you text your site lead and this and the other thing. And I'm like, who's my site lead? And then Darius is like, you're the site lead. I was like, oh, okay.
Speaker 3:Well, that changes things.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But, like so I'm already coming in first with no experience, but then getting thrust into a leadership position on top of that. And I'm sitting there going, like, it's me. Like, it yeah. Darius is there, and I can call him when I need him. But, like, I'm the person facilitating program.
Speaker 3:It is literally my job to make program happen in the junior high. How how do I do this? Like, especially with 0 experience. I'm like, I don't know how to do this. And and there were several times where a fight would break out or a kid would just be openly defiant or whatever.
Speaker 3:And I'm sitting there just going like, god, I I got nothing. Like, you I need you to help me out here because I got nothing. And then, like, it's almost like I would, like, step back mentally and, like, watch myself in the 3rd person deal with the situation and just be, like, where did that come from?
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 3:Right? Knowing that, of course, that it's God. But it's like, that definitely didn't come from me because I don't know what I'm doing right now. I don't even know why I'm here. But yeah.
Speaker 3:And then, you know, other other situations, like, sometimes it's just having the wisdom to be like, I need help. I need to call somebody. I actually just had this happen a couple of days ago. You know, it's the last week of program, and I just had this happen a couple days ago. We had a kid show up, and he had bug bites, like, all over all over him.
Speaker 3:Right? And, of course, you know, I can't give him anything because we're not allowed to administer medication. And the school nurse wasn't there. And so I basically I took him to the front office. I was like, is there anything you guys can do for me?
Speaker 3:He's like, no. There's really not. And I'm like, okay. Cool. And I was like, I have no idea what to do.
Speaker 3:And I just called Darius. I was like, hey. This is what's going on. I don't know. I don't know what to do.
Speaker 3:Do I need to send him home? Do we like, what do we do? And so Darius, fortunately, was literally, like, driving to the school when I called him. So he he took over it, but it's still it's one of those where it's like, there are times where I'm like, yeah. I have a year of experience, and there are still things that I'm gonna run into.
Speaker 3:And I know that I could do this for the next 10 years. And every year, there's going to be a story of something I've never encountered before. And that's, you know, that's why one of Forerunner's values is what always be growing. Yeah. Right?
Speaker 3:We're always growing. We're always self evaluating. We're always looking. Right?
Speaker 4:Always asking the wise counsel.
Speaker 3:Mhmm. And Beth is one of the best people to ask for that.
Speaker 4:Oh, yeah. No doubt.
Speaker 3:Cool. Well, you started as a tutor. We're we're totally just switching gears now. Cool. You started as a tutor.
Speaker 3:You then got hired last year as a grade coach. And this year, you started as a grade coach
Speaker 4:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:And then made the shift to instructional coach, what, like, the middle of fall semester?
Speaker 4:Yeah. Around November.
Speaker 3:Around November. And that was so I guess the question there is, 1, why did that happen? And 2, how has your role as a mentor evolved across the different the different job titles or the different responsibilities that you have.
Speaker 4:Right. Well, I would say it happened because one of our coaches and our our site lead I think it was just our site lead left. And so the instructional coach moved up to site lead. Me as a grade coach was asked to move to instructional coach, and then we would hire a new coach. And, honestly, I was very hesitant.
Speaker 4:At first this is this is
Speaker 3:That idea of, like, being bold again?
Speaker 4:The boldness, I was like, Quinn, I I don't think I can speak on the microphone every day and teach teach this. It's so different when you have just 12 kids, 15 kids max, versus 30 or 45 when it's the whole group. It may it may
Speaker 3:You'll have 45 kids?
Speaker 4:That's our max capacity. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Jealous.
Speaker 4:It's great.
Speaker 3:Anyway, continue.
Speaker 4:Gwen had asked me, and he he was so vague about this. He came up at recess one day, and he goes, Kaitlyn, what are your top two strengths?
Speaker 3:Oof.
Speaker 4:Immediate panic. Mike, you don't think I'm doing good at my job.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah.
Speaker 4:Not a good coach. That is that has to be what you're thinking, Quinn. And I didn't tell him, but one of the strengths I said was teaching. And then he was like, that's interesting. Can we have a meeting on Tuesday?
Speaker 4:And I'm like, what
Speaker 3:did I do?
Speaker 4:He didn't tell me what the meeting was for. He didn't tell me why we were doing it. Nothing.
Speaker 3:And you're just sitting there going, what did I do?
Speaker 4:Mhmm. I was like, he's definitely demoting me. He or maybe possibly firing
Speaker 3:you. He's about to fire me. I'm gonna lose my job.
Speaker 4:Right? And so I said, sure. Sure, Quinn. Let's meet Tuesday. And I come in on Tuesday, and he asked me about the instructional coach, and he tells me why he thinks I should do it.
Speaker 4:And I was I told him I said, can I think about this? And he said, yeah. Just let me know by the end of the week.
Speaker 3:And That's that's familiar.
Speaker 4:Yeah. It was stressful because I I take the boys super seriously. I don't want to hurt them in any way, and I didn't want to leave my team and have them feel like I was abandoning them
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:For everybody else.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 4:I didn't want them to have to adjust to a new coach and have to have that hard process of getting close to somebody again. And then do you trust that person that they're not gonna leave to? And so I was super hesitant along with the fact that I just didn't know if I could do it. And I prayed so much about it, and I did ask Beth. I was like, tell me what you think because I have no idea.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:And she told me what she thought and kept praying some more, and eventually, I just felt God pulling me in that direction. And I told Quinn, I said, yes. I'll do it. All nervously, all unsure.
Speaker 3:Kinda, I don't want to, but yes.
Speaker 4:Exactly. Yeah. But I will say it was one of the best decisions because the reach that you get with instructional coach is across all k through 6.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:So I get a relationship with every single boy. I get to talk to them and teach them about Jesus every day. Mhmm. And I get to answer their questions. I get to hear their hard questions and just lean on God to give me an answer to bring them comfort.
Speaker 4:And so I think being an instructional coach, it has it's done those two things of expanding the reach and putting me in the position of teacher, but it also gives me the flexibility to hop around from class to class in those low moments of team time where they are with their team. And I'm kinda floating around, making sure each group is doing alright, if they need anything. And I can just be silly with them and sit with them while they're eating snack. I can ask them random questions. They can ask me random questions.
Speaker 4:And so it gives me the flexibility to do that, which I've seen it I've seen that cultivate deeper relationships.
Speaker 3:And I can imagine, like, just the being able to kinda float between teams and being asked all kinds of questions. I'm assuming these questions are, like, completely random. There's not always just like a, oh, we're talking about the Bible today. It could be anything from the latest TikTok to really, really deeply spiritual, like, why does God love me questions. Right?
Speaker 3:Yeah. Okay. It's So reminds me makes me feel in my mind, I'm, like, likening this to one of our 8th graders who was a 7th grader last year. And I I think you know who I'm talking about. But he would literally, like, he would literally ask me, like, no less than 10 questions every single day.
Speaker 4:I do know who you're talking about.
Speaker 3:And they were the most completely random questions. I I had to, like, know everything from politics to, like, really deep spiritual theology. And, like, I I had to make sure that I knew the word. Right? And it just like, he kept me on my toes.
Speaker 3:I like, my mind is, like, that experience must or, like, what you do must be that, except 10 of him all at the same time.
Speaker 4:Sometimes it is that.
Speaker 3:So how 1, it's like, how do you manage that? And 2 is like, there's there's gotta be some kind of, like, anxiety or fear or something like that, even in that of just knowing I mean, James man, I think I'm just on in the book of James today. James 3
Speaker 4:Good book.
Speaker 3:Says, not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. Right? It's it's that's a that's a heavy warning. It's like, I know I felt that, and that's a big desire in the junior high is, like, as I'm teaching my forged messages, I'm like, I really wanna make sure that what I'm teaching is accurate. And there have been times where, like, the curriculum that Darius has given me is given a specific verse, and I'm like, this isn't really quite what this verse is saying, especially in context.
Speaker 3:And so I've I fortunately, I have the latitude to adjust that and to to be able to go and be like, look. This is what I was given. This is what I'm supposed to teach, but this is not actually what it's saying. This is what it's saying. But this is still how it applies in this situation.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 3:So, like, how do you how do you manage all of the, like, how do I answer this question and that question and the one over there kind of thing?
Speaker 4:I try to be as straightforward as possible. Scripture interprets scripture. So as many verses that as I can pull from the bible to give them evidence of what I'm saying, I'll do that, or at least quote it. I we don't have to say, oh, John 4 or 5 says this every single time, but at least reference it so that it's not just me speaking. It's the Bible speaking.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:And 2, just being willing to say I don't know.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:I would rather say I don't know than teach them the wrong thing and give them something that is not truth. And sometimes I don't know. Sometimes they ask questions that are super hard, and it's not something that God tells us. And so I tell them, I don't and we just had this conversation the other day.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah.
Speaker 4:I don't remember the question that was asked, but it was essentially, it boiled down to we don't have the answer, and that's why we need faith. What do we know about God? We know that he is good and that he does not lie and that he is the source of all truth.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:So if we don't know the answer, but he is saying something that doesn't really make sense, we can trust him and know that it is true without understanding the whole picture of why it's true.
Speaker 3:Yeah. No. That's so good. I know I've I've done that too, where it's like somebody or a kid will ask me a question, and I'm like, you know, I have no clue. I don't know the answer to that.
Speaker 3:But either, 1, that's why we need faith, or 2, if it's something that's I know there is an answer to, I just don't know. And I'm like, I know a person who might know this answer. Let me like, let's tell let's table this for now, and I'll go check with them, and I'll get back to you with that answer Yeah. Kind of thing. So There's
Speaker 4:a couple coaches in seminary or Christian colleges that are learning a lot of theology and doctrine. So Yeah.
Speaker 3:One of them will just I know Steven does that a lot during staff prayer, and he's like, what is this where is this verse? And he'll just be like, Philippines 4 or whatever. Right? He just knows it.
Speaker 4:Right? So I'll lean on them if it's something really deep that I just don't have a concept for.
Speaker 3:Mhmm. But does that create, like, a or generate, like, a hunger inside you to go find those answers, like, within your personal walk? Does like, the questions that you get asked, do or do they become things that especially the ones that maybe don't have, like, a specific answer, are those the ones that you find yourself pondering?
Speaker 4:I would say yes.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Okay.
Speaker 4:I'm the type I wanna know the answer. I wanna know the Bible cover to cover. I wish I could memorize
Speaker 3:it all. Yeah. And I'm I'm the same exact way where it's like I in my own personal walk, I almost have, like, a list of questions that I'm always, like, looking for the answer for as I study scripture. Like, as I read as I read my bible, as I do my quiet time, it's like, k. What does God say about I mean, the most recent one for me, for many reasons, was baptism.
Speaker 3:I was like, what is the theology behind baptism? Like, what does scripture specifically say behind baptism? Because, I mean, you know, we have so many different Christian denominations and they all believe something like, they all believe the the the same thing in the sense of, like, you should be baptized. But, like, the reasons for that are different. The eschatological reasons are different across the denominations.
Speaker 3:And so me being, for lack of a better term, a purist in many different ways, it's like, I would rather go to the source text. I mean, I've done this with literally the the legal code of the United States before. It's like, I would rather go to the source text and figure out what is what it is exactly saying than to believe, you know, all of these different commentaries. Right? So for me, like, that was a big one recently, has just been, like, what does the Bible say about baptism?
Speaker 3:What, like, the the the what, the who, the why, the how, like, all of that. Like, what does the Bible specifically say? And it is kinda vague. There are some there are some things, but it is in terms of, like, the practice of baptism, the or the the practical, like, logistical side of it, it's fairly vague in that. And so I'm like, well, okay, God.
Speaker 3:So it's not here. What do you have? Yeah. So okay. Cool.
Speaker 4:Can I say one thing? Yeah. A story on that topic that I struggled with super hard this year was I was supposed to teach on God as our protector. And
Speaker 3:And I bet some kids ask them why do bad things happen?
Speaker 4:Yes. But even before that, I was struggling because it was, god, how do I teach them that you protect them when there's a lot of things you haven't protected them from? That in a way that I can see.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:Like, yes. I'm sure. I know that god has protected them in a way that might not be visible to my eyes or to their eyes, but how do I show that to them when they've gone through a lot of hard things? Mhmm. How did the 2 it's a paradox.
Speaker 4:Right? Yeah. How do you stand in the thin line between both truths? And I I've wrestled with that for a minute, and I asked him
Speaker 3:Only one minute?
Speaker 4:Only one minute. For a long minute.
Speaker 3:Oh, okay. A long minute. A hot minute. Hot minute.
Speaker 4:I wrestled with that for a minute, and eventually, I just asked him. I was like, God, just what do you want me to say to them?
Speaker 3:And
Speaker 4:he he did show me, and one kid ended up asking me, how can you say God protects us? What about the guy who has a gun pointed to his head? And the man pulls the trigger. That's a tough question.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 4:That's a real question. And this kid is in
Speaker 3:high school question.
Speaker 4:And he's in 1st grade asking those types of things. And you just have to say what you know. Mhmm. God protects us from the worst thing that we could experience, which is separation from him. And there may be things that that he allows to happen or that happen in the world because of sin, but that doesn't mean he's not good, and that doesn't mean he doesn't love you.
Speaker 4:And, ultimately, he protects you from having to experience
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Separation.
Speaker 3:It's so good. Wow. I mean, you're you're crushing it as a teacher.
Speaker 4:Appreciate that a lot.
Speaker 3:Just saying, like, everything just what I've seen throughout the year, which admittedly is very little because, you know, I'm my sight's a mile down the road. But just the conversations we've had and, like, the way I've seen you engage with the boys, the one the one kid that just is like your little shadow. I love him. Like, I just you are you're you're crushing it. Like, you I I agree with your assessment and with Quinn's assessment.
Speaker 3:Like, teaching is your gift. Right?
Speaker 4:Thank you.
Speaker 3:So just wanted to encourage you in that. And that does not segue in any way, shape, or form into this final question, but we'll we'll run with it. We've talked about it a little bit. What is your why? Like, why do you show up every day at 4 Runner and pour 100% of yourself and the 30 some odd kids, which that's 3,000%.
Speaker 3:That map doesn't work. You know, what is your why? Like, what gets you up in the morning to to come here and do that on a daily basis?
Speaker 4:I think that when Jesus says he's with us always, that is through the Holy Spirit in us, and it's through the Holy Spirit in others around us. And so why I show up for them is because I just want them to see that Jesus loves them. There are people around them that care about them that would do anything for them, and I just don't want them to ever feel like they don't have somebody. Every kid, every person deserves to feel like there is at least one person that they can say anything to and will still be there. One person that will show up for them no matter what, who will love them in the dirt and in the when everything's sunshine and all great.
Speaker 3:And sunshine and lollipops.
Speaker 4:Right. I've felt both sides of that. And so, yeah, I just wanna make sure they have somebody.
Speaker 3:So your why is you want to make sure you you wanna make sure that every student knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have somebody in their corner.
Speaker 4:Mhmm. And that that someone is me, but more so that someone is Jesus.
Speaker 3:Right. That's so good. Well, Kaelin, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast this week. Do you have any final any final encouragements for our mentors, our listeners?
Speaker 4:If you are at all considering being a mentor, do it. It will change your life. It will change the life of the person that you mentor, and I think the biggest evidence of that is 1st Corinthians 11:1. It says, follow my example as I follow the example of Christ. That's gonna change everything.
Speaker 4:Relationships change lives, and you're following Christ, and that person can learn how to follow Christ too through you.
Speaker 3:So good. Well, listener, if you've missed everything in this episode, then you've definitely been missing out. You definitely need to go back to the last 50 or so minutes and and listen to it because Caitlin's got some fire things.
Speaker 4:Josh is very generous.
Speaker 3:If you if you've missed everything, hear this. You can mentor. And you should. But you can mentor. See you next week.