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Every mentor has a different story. They come from different backgrounds, experience different things in life, and can bring unique elements to the table in a mentoring relationship. The organization they get plugged into for support also affects the ways in which they mentor through different trainings, mentoring philosophies, and equipping. That's why asking a mentor their why is so important. Each mentor has a different reason for pouring into the next generation; to volunteer their time to help guide a child into adulthood. Recently, You Can Mentor had a series hosted by the editor asking each of Forerunner Mentoring's coaches what their "why" behind the job was. This week, John takes it to the next step to bring fresh perspectives in. Rich Thompson, a Mentoring Coach at the Mentoring Alliance in Waco joins him to discuss his childhood, the mentors that poured into him growing up, and his why behind mentoring.
Connect with Zach:
zach@youcanmentor.com
Purchase John's Book:
Mephibosheth! The Search for Identity, Purpose, and Community
Connect with Zach:
zach@youcanmentor.com
Purchase John's Book:
Mephibosheth! The Search for Identity, Purpose, and Community
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:Our main man, Mr. John Bernard has released a book entitled Mephibosheth, The Search For Identity, Purpose, and Community. It's an amazing book, and I know it will encourage you and your fellow mentors. While you're at it, pick up my book, You Can Mentor, How to Impact Your Community, Fulfill the Great Commission, and Break Generational Curses. You can find both of these resources on Amazon or on our website.
Speaker 2:Lastly, follow us on social media. Listen to the podcast and share everything you find valuable with your mentoring friends. We're here for you, and we wanna add value in whatever way we can. Thank you so much. You can mentor.
Speaker 2:We here at You Can Mentor are toying around with the idea of having a mentoring gathering or conference where mentoring leaders can come, get encouraged, and equipped as they lead their ministries. Our goal in this is to create a safe and fun environment where mentors can share stories of struggles and successes while bonding together with their mentoring team and other mentoring leaders all across the country. If you lead a team of mentors and are interested in learning more about this gathering, please reach out to us. We'd love to pick your brain on how to create a gathering that best serves you and your team. Since this is our 1st year doing it, we want as much input as possible to create the best experience as possible.
Speaker 2:Thanks. You can mentor. Mentoring leaders, are you looking for a place to discuss important mentoring issues with other people who are passionate about mentoring? If so, let me introduce You Can Mentored Learning Labs, a monthly call with other mentoring leaders to support each other as we lead mentoring organizations and other mentors. Each call will focus on a topic and allow you to share as well as hear from others on the struggles and successes they have had regarding this specific topic.
Speaker 2:To sign up, please reach out to zachgarza at zach@youcanmentor.com, or find us on social media. Thank you. Remember, you can mentor.
Speaker 3:Welcome, You Can Mentor listener. This is John. I'm sitting down today with a friend named Rich Thompson. Rich, you work at Mentoring Alliance right here in Waco. Right?
Speaker 3:Yes, sir. Yes, sir. What a joy that we can sit down together, both being local Waco guys.
Speaker 4:Yes, sir.
Speaker 5:It's a pleasure.
Speaker 3:It is certainly a pleasure to have you here as well. Rich, you're you are in the business of mentoring. And so what we want to do as we always wanna do with every podcast recording is we wanna have our listener have the opportunity to be equipped and encouraged in the ministry that they take part in. And so I know that that I know that you brought the goods today. And so and I'm ready to hear your story, and I'm ready to talk about mentoring.
Speaker 3:And so without further ado, why don't you just share with us a little bit about who Rich is and and and why mentoring is so important?
Speaker 5:Cool. Yes, sir. Appreciate it, John. Who I am is a vessel. How I even became was I'm originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, and I lived in a pretty rough neighborhood starting out.
Speaker 5:And I was I was on 28th 28th in Highland, 2nd house on the corner. We always had a duck every Friday. It's always shooting or, you know, something going on. And so growing up in that atmosphere kinda made, you know, you be the survival of the fittest. And so my my father was a minister in in church, and so we had that foundation.
Speaker 5:But still in those those atmospheres and, you know, in the in that neighborhood, it was you you go to school, you you kinda mix and mingle with those kids. And so that's kinda how I became a little aggressive also with childhood trauma. And so I pretty much every school I was in, I got kicked out of for the most part, just not being taken advantage of and making sure that I was able to hold my own. And so, you know, with that being said, like, we we end up moving from there to another neighborhood, which was Hallville, Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana. And it was around the time where we almost became the murder capital of the world in 1999.
Speaker 5:And so it's, you know, just those atmospheres, you know, being a kid, pressure, peer pressure is like, you know, you you rise to the occasion of defending yourself. And so that became a a lot of kind of the spiral that I I got kinda caught in. And it wasn't until I got to North Wayne Elementary School where I found a principal. Her name was miss Williams, who was very attentive and made sure that she took care of me well, paid a lot of attention to me, made sure I didn't get away with everything, held me accountable, never let, ADHD or dyslexia be my my issue or my my excuse.
Speaker 4:Sure. You
Speaker 3:know? Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 5:Because some people go through life, but then sometimes they use life as an excuse.
Speaker 3:Sure. So and what about even, you know, with a diagnosis like that? That that kinda be is the label.
Speaker 5:Right. Right.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Like, that defines you. Exactly. So interesting. Miss Williams went beyond that in your life.
Speaker 5:Yes, sir. She picked me out of the class and, you know, my parents, they they would come for, you know, those parent teacher conferences, and and they had they sat me down. They had me tested because nobody knew what was going on. And at that time, Ritalin was very heavy. My mom was did not wanna put me on Ritalin, so we tried to find everything else to help, and miss Williams became that that help for me.
Speaker 5:She became my mentor. And so if it wasn't for miss Williams, I would have possibly get gotten kicked out of North Wayne. Every other school after that, I did. But but she was she was that person for me in that elementary school. And so then on, you know, they became more mentors, but she was the difference maker for me who kinda steered me in a different direction.
Speaker 5:So yeah.
Speaker 3:That's awesome. That's awesome. So were you, Rich, were you kinda consciously aware of the power, you know, of I mean, I'm I'm sure you you lacked a lot of perspective like we all do when we're when we're when we enjoy the fruits of someone investing in our lives, we don't you know, again, we're not we don't have that maturity, and sometimes we even take that for granted, of course. But Yeah. Maybe when did you start kind of realizing the power of mentoring, the power of someone investing, and how it really can be like a course changer for someone's life?
Speaker 5:Yeah. The moment that she stepped in, it was it was like, okay. I matter. I don't I'm not caught in because being in the class and, you know, some kids have those barriers. And so being amongst other students who are thriving and, you know, the classroom is their sanctuary, that wasn't, you know, my that wasn't my gifting.
Speaker 5:And so not fitting in was a big issue for any kid. No. Not not feeling like they fit in. And so for her to, you know, take me in that fitting in and helping me to navigate not fitting in in classrooms, like, you know, saying that I am special and, you know, keying in on my, I guess, my talents because my dad was a drummer, and I was always drumming in class. And so she would pull me out and, like, hey.
Speaker 5:You're a great drummer, but you can't drumming in class. And so it was it was just just seeing and knowing who I was first before trying to fix me. Right? And so I think for mentors, I think that can be sometimes our ultimate goal is to, hey. Let me fix this kid.
Speaker 5:I see the need. Let me let me get to that that need. Sure.
Speaker 3:Sure. And also the just a really good reminder that as the mentor has that power to identify what is an asset. Right? Like, what they're good at. What they enjoy.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And really kind of nurture that even if it needs to be like a behavioral issue or like a, hey. This may be not be the time for it. Right. But we wanna steer that to be a positive and not just say, hey. Stop doing that.
Speaker 3:You need to you need to be quiet and quit moving around. Right. Right. Okay. Man, that's that's a really powerful thing.
Speaker 3:So I'm glad that you mentioned brought up, drumming. You still drum now.
Speaker 5:Yes, sir.
Speaker 3:Is that it's kind of a big part of your life. Big part.
Speaker 5:So I'm also Waco's street drummer, and that's how that came about is me always drumming in class.
Speaker 4:Mhmm. I
Speaker 5:did a talent show for a school that I was working at, and that grabbed the kids' attention. And I'm like, hey. I can use this tool, and they got me kicked out of class as one to grab, you know, the attention of the students to kind of pour into them. And so that's how that came about. And so just giving classes now and just trying to be that difference in the community to show them, hey, you you may be a drummer or you may be a painter or whatever that is.
Speaker 5:Like, own it and find the best avenue for you to be successful in it. So that's that's a bit of my mentoring. That's my net, I guess you would say.
Speaker 3:You're speaking my language. We know this. Yeah. We know it. We know what it's like, right, to have the desires of your heart be the thing that connects us to people.
Speaker 5:Yes, sir.
Speaker 3:Hey. I wanna ask one more question about miss Williams. Was Yeah. The the time that y'all had together and the opportunities that she had to influence and to encourage you, was that more of a formal setting, or was it kind of in passing kind of organic as she saw you, or did you kinda have a set meeting time in that? I'm just curious.
Speaker 5:Yeah. It was a little bit of both. We would have a a time where she would pull me out either for reading, being dyslexic. I I read at a different pace. And so, you know, she she showed me attention in that, and she held me accountable.
Speaker 5:So not letting me, again, you know, just give up on, man, I can't read as fluent as anyone else in you know? So in that meeting time, she would kinda stay on me a little bit, encourage me, like, you can do it. But then, you know, in passing, she was like, hey. How how is your day going? Like, you know, are do you have any problems?
Speaker 5:Do you wanna talk about anything? And just being able to have her as that person in my corner that admit everything.
Speaker 3:So that I think is interesting about mentoring in the in the world of it is it's like anything else. If it's if it's highly defined and structured, which I think it really should be. Right? Best practices, we should be intentional. Right.
Speaker 3:But, you know, it's interesting when we're talking about working with teenagers a lot of time, especially, there's this idea. And I kinda faced it in ministry. I think that sometimes there is this there's this temptation for you to think as one that's maybe being invested in, oh, you know what? You're only doing this because you're my teacher.
Speaker 5:Right.
Speaker 3:Because you're my youth minister. Right? It sounds like miss Williams, and I and I'm I'm taking maybe what you shared, and tell me if I'm wrong, but I feel like she had she was well balanced in saying, this is our this is our time together Right. Formally. I'm the principal.
Speaker 3:You're the student. I want you to be successful. But there was also that element of you you did you truly know that she cared for you, Rich. Right? And not just saw you as a as a number or just a whatever grader.
Speaker 3:Right?
Speaker 5:Right.
Speaker 3:Okay. And I think I think the listener really should pick up on that too and just say that both are really important, I think. I think that we have some authority as the, you know, the mentor. Maybe we go into the school during lunch and meet sit down.
Speaker 5:Right.
Speaker 3:But I just I've always found it's really important when relating to our, mentee that we say, hey, Please know that I'm doing this because I care for you, not just because I'm part of the program.
Speaker 5:Oh, yeah.
Speaker 3:And, again, maybe that's even the the thing that needs to be remembered even today as you're a part of of a program as well.
Speaker 5:Yeah. Yep. And so that that that's the number one thing for me. Kids pick up on everything. I mean, you don't always have to say how you feel.
Speaker 5:They can they can read it. And so for Miss Williams, it was that her going out of her way and and being intentional. And so with, you know, at Mentoring Alliance, where I'm current a mentor coach currently, try to put it in my mentors, no minds to see the kid, know the kid first and and let that be your intention rather than, hey, let me help you with this. Because once they know that you're there, like, they'll open up and you'll have that chance to work on things with them. Right?
Speaker 5:Whether it be etiquette, you know, like, if a if a kid is just not getting that at home. Right? Like, hey. Say yes, sir, no, sir, or yes, ma'am, no, ma'am. They have to first see that, okay, this person's in my corner.
Speaker 5:And so I I really kinda try to push that of just being there. Like, that's that's what Christ does for us. And so he doesn't try to fix us, but he lets us know he's they're walking alongside of us. Right? And so every mentee is not gonna be perfect.
Speaker 5:Like, we're not perfect. Right? But God's grace is sufficient. Right? And so his his grace is what kinda it it covers us in in our walk.
Speaker 5:And so just being the Christ centered mentor for that mentee, like, walking it out and letting them know that I'm here. Right?
Speaker 3:So I love the belong before behaved thing. Right? Yep. Like, look. It's not determined by you know, you're not in or out based on the choices that you're making.
Speaker 3:Look. You belong. This is you know, I like that place for you here. Yeah. And then we can address.
Speaker 3:So just like you mentioned, make sure that they know that they belong first, and then we can start addressing those matters.
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Take us back. I wanna hear about Rich in junior high and high school. You know, those those years. Alright? So tell us about, you know, just life and about who was investing in you.
Speaker 3:And then I'm I'm kinda curious when you start to kinda make that turn of, like, oh, you know what? This life spent is is gonna be best spent by by investing in others.
Speaker 5:Yeah. Junior high and high school, those are some times, man. I would say, you know, again, still trying to find who I was. I was great at football, and so that was my outlet. That in boxing, anything that was, you know, aggressive or or even playing drums.
Speaker 3:Could hit people, you were okay.
Speaker 5:Yes. Like, that was my voice, I felt. Right? And so it got me in a lot of trouble. My and and my dad in junior high was the PTA president.
Speaker 5:And so there were times where we would have to have discussions that weren't necessarily good for his name with assistant principals again. 1 in particular, mister Douglas. It was one of the biggest fights of middle school. I didn't wanna fight because my again, my dad, PTA president. I just wanted to make sure I made him proud.
Speaker 5:It was a guy. His name is David. It was David and Goliath, except for he was bigger than I was. And so I was cornered. I mean, I handled my business.
Speaker 5:I ended up getting expelled. And mister Douglas, because he knew my father, again, who he became a bit of a influence as well, he he was like, hey. If you call your father and you let him know what took place, then we'll talk about this expulsion. Right? And so him holding me accountable again and putting the ball back in my court and, you know, like him caring enough because every principal doesn't give you that that chance to, okay, you can fix this.
Speaker 5:Right? And so I was able to do that. And I mean,
Speaker 4:I was
Speaker 5:able to get back to the school the the next year. And so that was that was that was middle school. And so high school, kind of the same thing. I ended up getting kicked out of high school. Again, had the biggest fight.
Speaker 5:And what happened was I was passive. I became passive aggressive because I was always in trouble elementary all the way up. And I'm like, I can't keep doing this. Number 1, because my dad will always give me that talk of, like, hey. Now this is we can't do this.
Speaker 5:And so being becoming passive aggressive, I would hold things in. And once I was pushed to that point, I would just would explode. And so, being passive aggressive, I didn't really talk much about what I was going through, and I was shown in action. And, that got me sent to alternative school. Once I was in alternative school, I had a group of teachers who, again, who invested in me, who saw, like, hey, you have a lot of potential.
Speaker 5:Like, you can you can be whatever you desire to be. And so but again, my dad, he was a great pastor. He also started a nonprofit. And so where I found my voice was being, you know, his right hand man working alongside of him. And it was it was to keep me out of trouble, to be honest, like, gonna kinda have me under his belt a little bit.
Speaker 5:And so just being able to see how he he moved and see him pour into kids and because he was a mentor. And so there were times where I had to share my dad with other young men and watching the way that he loved them and how he took them in. He was he was pretty much like the greatest mentor. And so being able to see how he impacted their lives at a young age for me was like, okay. Maybe this is what I do.
Speaker 5:And so I I would say it started then coming out of high school, you know, doing a nonprofit thing of being in the inner city. We would we would hold 3 on 3 basketball tournaments and just, like, summer events. And so to be able to see my friends, because a lot of those guys were my friends, to see them impacted because they didn't have a father. But but to see my father be a mentor for them was like, I think this is this is what I want to do. I always love to make people feel well about themselves.
Speaker 5:And so being being able to see my father do it in a in a I don't know. I don't want to say a a Christian way, but because I feel like they're so broad. But to be able to do it in a in a in a excellent way to model who Christ was, you know?
Speaker 3:Yeah. Well, Rich, I think that your story, man, of those, you know, those all important pivotal junior high, high school years, right, those formative years where to hear you say, like many of us, just we struggle we just don't get it. You know? And and we should be getting it. Right?
Speaker 3:Because we've kind of had the chance, and we've and it it almost sounds like you had the resources. You had the support. Yeah. But you just weren't ready. Right?
Speaker 3:Not yet. You just weren't prepared for it. Exactly. What I what I also hear is that it sounds like once you realized purpose, right, like once you were once you felt maybe empowered to be a part of something bigger than yourself, so that the passive aggressiveness wouldn't kinda be what rules you, or whatever else, you know, you were struggling for in insignificance, you know, maybe it just makes it kinda easier. Right?
Speaker 3:And we think about with teenagers, they're living their lives even today. You know, they're at school. Right. And their significance is is up for grabs. Right?
Speaker 3:Like like, we would say, you're you're valuable. You're important. The lord loves you. Yeah. You know?
Speaker 3:Yeah. And yet, they're in an environment that is speaking against that, completely telling them, you're not good enough. You're not strong enough. You're not smart enough. You're not, you know and and you don't have a future, whatever else.
Speaker 3:So it's it's all the more reason why we kinda realize as mentors, we have such an important job to do here. But that also you know? And and this is maybe what makes it difficult too because we kinda all wish that we would see the fruit of our labor.
Speaker 5:Right. You
Speaker 3:know? And that this kid would be making the grades, and they'd be Right. Suing, you know, excellence in sports and whatever else. But but to be honest with you, maybe there was even a time that we could look at the life of Rich Thompson and be like, man, I don't know.
Speaker 5:Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. It was a big I don't know, man. I and I I'll be be honest. You know, I even in my adulthood, there were still times where I'm like, man, you gotta get it together.
Speaker 5:Like, I mean, there always, I think, becomes that that time where you have to look yourself in the mirror and, you know, you you have to hold yourself accountable.
Speaker 4:Mhmm.
Speaker 5:But then goes back those times where I hear mister Douglas or I hear my father or I hear miss Williams hold me accountable. And so now I know, you know, I I can't let myself now let not only them down, but but me. Mhmm. Because at the end of the day, I'm the one that has to, you know, you know, deal with whatever I deal myself or whatever position I put myself in. And so I think for mentors to be mindful of our walk and how long it may have taken us to to get it right, or we're still trying to get it right Mhmm.
Speaker 4:And
Speaker 5:to have that grace that's shown to us that that Christ he he shows us every day.
Speaker 3:Right. You know? That we still rely on. Right? Yeah.
Speaker 3:Because I don't have it figured out.
Speaker 5:Not at all. I don't.
Speaker 3:I'm not I I should not you know, I would say this. I I shouldn't be able to do what I get to do, but for the grace of god.
Speaker 5:For sure.
Speaker 3:And even this last week, I was sitting down with one of my mentees who's a young adult and just him saying, who who I'm gonna be getting into one of our programs here pretty soon to be encouraging teenagers. He's like, hey. Are you sure Yeah. I I should be doing this? And I was like, dude, I could tell you, you know, 7 things right now
Speaker 4:that of of things that I'm I'm dealing with or I have dealt with, and it it would it would answer that question pretty quick. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And have dealt with, and it it would it would
Speaker 4:answer that question pretty quick.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Hey. You're okay. You know? Yeah.
Speaker 3:But well, hey.
Speaker 4:Rich, are are any of
Speaker 3:the the mentors that that you've already shared with us, and I'm so glad to hear about these people specifically, but are are any of them still with us? Are these people that you still at all ever get to talk to?
Speaker 5:So I'm I'm currently trying to find miss Williams that since I'm I've gotten older now, I'm like, hey. I I have to reach out to her to let her see her words weren't you know, they didn't follow on death ears. At one point, they may have, you know, but there was that seed that she planted. So mister Douglas, I I know for sure he he's still alive and still going. He, I think, may have just retired from the school environment.
Speaker 5:And so just trying to reach again there in Indianapolis, Indiana. And so it was just, like, not being able to sit down and get coffee with them. Mhmm. You know, every day is is something that I, you know, I do desire to see if she is still out there and still alive. And but that's something I am definitely working on.
Speaker 3:Oh, man. That's awesome to hear. Because as you know, he's even we've talked about, you know, the work of the mentor so often. Yes. Man, again, you're planting seeds.
Speaker 3:You're you're you're watering plants. You are you are doing the work. Yeah. And and you you will never you know, what do they say? You'll you'll never really rest under the shade of that tree.
Speaker 3:Yeah. But that's not why we do it. Right?
Speaker 5:Not not at all.
Speaker 3:We know that that this is obedience to the Lord. Yes, sir. And we know that this is about, you know, changing a life that that will may just be decades away from us. So but I I I would love to, you know, be privy to that conversation of when you share with miss Williams. You know, this is this is what I get to do, and I mean, that would be that would be a remarkable thing to hear for sure.
Speaker 3:So I I hope that that happens. Yeah.
Speaker 5:Yeah. I'm hoping so.
Speaker 3:Tell us a little bit about Mentoring Alliance just as an organization for those who who are unaware about what you do and what what it is.
Speaker 5:So, yes, sir. We're a Christ centered organization, and we're based out of Tyler, and that is that is our our mecca. That's our our our place that we were birthed out of, and we are now in Waco, Texas, and we're able to service 20 mentors right right now, which was I mean, it was a dream at first, but to be able to support and walk with the mentors and mentees is is phenomenal. We're able to get them out of our after school program as well, and some of the schools that we are in and that we are servicing along with one offs in the community, people that we have relationships with, just asking them that, hey. You know, let have you ever thought about being a mentor and explaining to them, like, what a mentor is?
Speaker 5:And the greatest mentor that I can put before them is is Jesus Christ. Like, every time we get it wrong, like, he's there. Right? He's he's the one that covers us. He he shed his blood for us.
Speaker 5:And so that is kinda what it is to be a mentor. It's like it is is not pretty. You know? It's there's gonna be some bloodshed in there, be some tears and, you know, all that. And so just to kinda give them that picture, a lot of them have liked the blood hearing hearing about the I don't know if this sounds crazy, but they some of them like to hear that it's not gonna be easy.
Speaker 5:Yeah. And I I would say that that's been kind of our our push is to find Christ centered individuals who know what it is, you know, not to be perfect and and have Christ to walk with them in their imperfection. And they and one wanting to do that same thing for for our kids.
Speaker 3:You know, kid. And I I think we both live long enough to know that really the most important the things in life are usually the the most difficult.
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Right?
Speaker 5:Oh, yeah.
Speaker 3:Marriage. Yes. Our faith. Yeah. You know, family.
Speaker 3:Just parenting. Right? These are these this is work, but it's but it's amazing just as just as mentoring is as well. How do you guys mainly recruit? How do you find you know, 20 mentors is incredible.
Speaker 3:Right. And so we're in Waco. We have Baylor, of course. Right. But what just, you know, this is kind of for those that maybe are in organizations and think, man, what what resources am I not really thinking about when it comes to being able to recruit?
Speaker 5:Right. So how we recruit is through our churches. We try to find as many Christ centered mentors through churches. Also, like I said, in relationship, if you if there's a person that, you know, is a good friend of yours who they may have a family, but they may have never thought about mentoring, but they're a great friend. Right?
Speaker 5:I think those sometimes are the greatest mentors because they know what it is to be a friend. And that's that's what we, as mentors, have to first be is that friend. And then also another thing that I I do in my recruiting process is part of my background. Who would have thought that I would be back in schools? Right?
Speaker 5:Like, I I worked in the schools for a while for over a decade. And so just going back in, getting some of those relationships, principals or administrators well, they they are administrators. Sorry. But CIS, the those platforms and those pipelines to be able to pull from those are are big. And then, you know, just being a billboard about Christ, first of all, within, you know, having a mentor in the alliance also on the chest and and letting them know, like, hey.
Speaker 5:Come join, you know, what we're able to
Speaker 3:do. Sure. So So, again, sounds like presence and building relationships that those administrators know that they can trust you. Right? Right.
Speaker 3:Because you're representing this organization out of Tyler, which is which is East Texas. Yes. And you guys if I'm not mistaken, I think y'all are also gonna be doing some work in Abilene, is it? Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Speaker 3:Which is exciting. You're gonna and a new community there.
Speaker 5:Oh, yeah. We'll we'll be doing summer camps there really soon. And talking about summer camps, we were able to launch our summer camp in Robertson this year, which was I mean, it was a dream come true because we didn't know how it was gonna happen. So God opened that door for us. I mean, so, yeah, we're in 21 locations in Tyler, but but now we're in 6 different locations in Waco.
Speaker 5:And so God has really opened the doors, and and and now and the Abilene will be in 2 10 different locations.
Speaker 3:That's great.
Speaker 5:He's he's doing it.
Speaker 3:That's awesome. Again, just it's a win win across the board, isn't it? Just think about being in the community and having all of those potential mentors find a station. Right? Find their their role.
Speaker 3:My guess is as well that you guys offer training Yes, sir. And accountability and support for all your mentors. Yes, sir.
Speaker 5:So a part of our vetting, the mentors is that's one of our big port points is is giving that training. Because if you've never been a mentor, you don't know where to start. Right? And kinda where are that some of my mentors on the first thing is, you know, we don't have to be perfect. If you stub your toe last night, you can tell your mentor, turn the lights on Menti, I'm sorry.
Speaker 5:Turn the lights on first before you start walking. Like, that is that may rock a kid's world because they always wake up no lights. I'm trying to figure out why I always stubbed my toe. And, you know, you just being there, number 1. I mean, you your presence gives them hope from because you weren't there.
Speaker 5:So you just being there is a big step already. But then just giving those, brief little nuggets of, you know, you walking out life and what that looks like. So we do give that training. We also checking in with them periodically, building that relationship of me being a mentor coach. You can rely on me when you need me.
Speaker 5:If I don't have the answer, I can go find it. But just having that safety net, because being a mentor sometimes can be scary. You may deal with situations that you never have dealt with in your life. And so being able to have a person to to find the resources for you or to give you pointers is imperative, I feel. I feel like every mentor needs a mentor.
Speaker 5:So I try to I try to become that mentor coach, but that mentor for them in in being a mentor. Mhmm.
Speaker 3:I'm telling you what, you know, we think about the spiritual battle that we're in. Right? Yeah. And I just say this all the time. The the enemy is at work isolating, making us feel like we are first alone, and that that makes us feel that we can't do it.
Speaker 3:But the beauty of our faith, the beauty of the church is the fact that the Lord has said, I'm listen. Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you. And so even that idea of having a mentor coach and having that accountability and that support of saying, listen. Your problem is our problem.
Speaker 3:Right. And that I think that's all the difference in the world right there. Just to say, if issues come up, and they will Yeah. Because it's relationship and it's with people, but we've got your back. And we will you know, I'll make it a point.
Speaker 3:As you said, if I don't have the answer, I'll find the answer. Right. So that speaks to hope. And and I think that's a really wonderful thing as well. And, again, I'm I'm a I'm kinda crazy about mentoring.
Speaker 3:Yeah. You know, Rich, you've already kinda really painted us a picture of your life to say that that mentors made a really important impact on your life, and you now just kinda decided. Maybe share with us a little bit, you know, when did you really know that that you would commit to mentoring? I mean, was it this this moment of the Lord's revelation? Was it just kind of a process by process?
Speaker 3:But, you know, when did you really make that corner or turn that corner to say, I wanna be a mentor?
Speaker 5:Yeah. I think that came through for me working in schools on a daily basis, seeing the need. Like, I mean, it's just in your face. Some kids are homeless, and some of the teachers don't know it. Or, you know, or mom is, you know, working night shifts and the kid either got very little sleep, no sleep, and then they come to school hungry.
Speaker 5:And this is like, okay, who was going to fulfill that need? Right. They come They're there 8 hours a day, but then they gotta go back home and, you know, in that environment. And so I was a behavioral specialist. And so, you know, a lot of times, I would be the only hug or fist bump that a lot of these kids would get.
Speaker 5:And so being able to see the impact that I was having on their lives, it they they went from calling me mister t to uncle t. And that spoke volumes to me because I'm like, you wanna trust me to be an uncle? Like, you don't We don't know each other like that, but we do. Right? And so there was then where miss Williams and mister Douglas stood up in me.
Speaker 5:And when they did say, like, that's my uncle t. They wanted to be different from calling me mister t from everybody else. And I'll never forget it. It was 4 girls, Carver Middle School. And, I mean, they were tough.
Speaker 5:They they pretty much kinda ran the hallways, and when they said things, it was for the most part. And so when they were like, we wanna call you uncle t, I'm like, okay. Cool. Well, if you call me Uncle T, I have to be able to hold you accountable as an uncle would. And we made that agreement there in the hallway.
Speaker 5:Alright. Okay, cool. And so to be able to do that and hold them accountable and still show them that I love them in that. Right? Because kids, they they wanna be held accountable.
Speaker 5:They just don't know it all the time, you know? And so being able to do that, that's when the light, like, cut off for me. It was like, this is my calling. Like, right? Not only just youth ministry, but, you know, being outside of the church.
Speaker 5:Right? Being that light in school and being that mentor. And so, yeah, that's what, I guess, really hit it for me. It was like, you know, this is this is your call to to be a mentor. Right?
Speaker 3:That is the gold for sure. Yeah. Yeah. I would love for anybody to call me mister t, but because I pity the fuck. Hey.
Speaker 3:Listen. Here's a hard question, and maybe it's not, but I'm gonna hit you with it. Okay? Are you ready? Yeah.
Speaker 3:So in the face of incredible need, which is what, you know, you endured and and a lot of mentors do when they're in the public school system and and when they're in some hard places, how do you think the mentor can keep from getting overwhelmed by by that? Because I'm sure that is a that is a danger that many mentors just they just get tired Right. Of of of continuing to understand they have this much capacity. Right. And they but they're seeing an incredible amount of need.
Speaker 3:So Yeah. Rich, what do you what do you say about that?
Speaker 4:That's
Speaker 5:a good question. I I feel, again, Christ calls us to be disciples. Right? So calling others to to the the greatness of of what, you know, needs to be ministered to, not only in the schools or, you know, as being a mentor, like, to your life, I think we all need to have those people that we can lean on. And so as a mentor, I would say, have another mentor to be yours.
Speaker 5:I I feel like no no man is not in by himself. Like, no no one person can do it all. And us as mentors, I'll just say, I have a thing with with, you know, understanding other men that we're fixers. Right? Like, we feel like we need to fix things, and so we I feel like we we try to put the world on our shoulders being husbands and fathers and, you know, whatever other role we hold, we wanna make sure that it's fixed after we leave.
Speaker 5:And so that can be very burden burdensome. And so find somebody else to to be with you in it because the great the the need is great. And so it's like knowing that the need is great, that you can't fulfill it all, have grace for yourself. On those days, that is hard. And you may have a mentor or mentee, I'm sorry, who just went to jail.
Speaker 5:Right? And as a mentor, you can feel like, man, I I just failed this kid. Right? But we all know that we are living out our story. Right?
Speaker 5:That, you know, we overcome by the blood of lamb and the word of our testimony. That is that mentee's testimony that, you know, yes, I had a mentor to to lead me and to direct me, but I still you know, I I had to walk my life out. And so on those days that is hard, just finding somebody to that, you know, that can bear your burden with you. And I I I mean, I know Christ is there for us, but having someone there that's tangible, like, you know, like a John Mhmm. Right, to be able to voice or ask questions or yeah.
Speaker 5:Like, just be able to express how you're feeling because you deal with a lot as a mentor.
Speaker 3:I love it. That's the truth, man. I mean, I'm hearing I'm just kinda hearing the other. You know? It's not it's not about me even as God calls us.
Speaker 3:He doesn't call us to say, look. You got everything you need. Go out and do it and just be fine with it for years years. He says, no. I want you to deny yourself.
Speaker 3:I want you I do want you to take up this cross. This is the cross of mentoring. Maybe the one that I'm asking you to pick up. But listen, 3rd part, most important, follow me. Right.
Speaker 3:Right? Like, I've I've got you. And not only am I encouraging you, not only am I there for you when you need to turn around and say, okay. What next? Like, I'm I'm actually leading you in this.
Speaker 3:I'm I'm the leader of this thing. Right? Yeah. And then as you mentioned, I think it's so important that you might be in a in a listener, you might be in a place where you're thinking about mentoring or you are mentoring, and you're struggling because you don't have exactly what Rich is talking about in terms of the other as far as someone else who is kind of along this journey with you. And maybe that is the need to just begin praying for.
Speaker 3:Lord, send me somebody to to be my helper in this that I can whether it's an organization or whether it's the support of another mentor to just say, I can't do this on my own. Right. The stakes are too high. The that's it's too much of a kind of an important thing in life for me to just fail at this and to not and and, again, to attempt even to do it on your own. Yeah.
Speaker 3:But to say, I really just need someone to come along who is who is gonna be, you know, in this boat with me, and we can and we can survive this thing together. Well, Rich, you just have really given us some gold this morning. I thank you for sharing your story, and I thank you for sharing your wisdom. I'm thankful that there are men like you and women who are out there doing the good work, who are in tough places. So thank you for giving you and using your gifts as well.
Speaker 3:You know, we mentioned your your desire as a music your your your talent and your understanding that that the heart that you have for music and drumming is the very thing that connects you with others. And, you know, I always talk about it with my deal with skateboard as well. Yeah. It's just the same thing. Like, I like this I like this temporal thing because it speaks to the eternal.
Speaker 3:Right. Right? Yeah. And music is the same way. It's a way to connect with young people and to to raise them up and and speak wisdom into their life.
Speaker 3:And so I I appreciate that as well. Listener, I wanna say that to you as well. It's the thing that you enjoy doing. It might even be the thing that you say, oh, you know what? This is kind of my little thing.
Speaker 3:It's like where I'm not really thinking about anybody else. I'm just kind of enjoying, you know, fishing or whatever. I gotta tell you, it might be time to consider using that thing to connect with people as well, you know, to invite someone along to be a part of that. What do you think about that?
Speaker 4:Yes, sir.
Speaker 5:I mean, that's you said it well. I mean oh, yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, again, Rich, I'm so appreciative. It's mentoring alliance Yes, sir. Dotorg?
Speaker 5:Yes, sir. Is that right? Yes, sir.
Speaker 3:This is this is where I stumble through the how we how we get it to yeah. How we get in touch. And you are Waco drummer? Waco Street drummer. Waco Street drummer.
Speaker 3:Okay. And we've got a website for this thing?
Speaker 5:It's coming.
Speaker 3:Yes, sir.
Speaker 5:It's under construction. It's under construction.
Speaker 3:Well, Rich, again, you're a blessing. I appreciate you, and thank you for reminding us that ready to live for this listener? You can mentor.