Mentoring and Discipleship

My son recently returned from a missions trip with some students from our church. The pastor and his wife who led the camp where they worked for the week are former students of my husband. We had the opportunity to be there for the last day of the missions trip, and it was great to reconnect with Mark and Ruthi and see their ministry, as well as hear about the week of opportunity and how God had used it in many lives.

One thing that struck me was how my husband had invested in his students who were now investing in our son who was also likewise beginning to invest in this couple’s young children, who promptly told me the nickname they had given my son! I saw a beautiful chain of relationship and discipleship, the worth of investing in the next generation and then seeing that continue. It is an investment of time and friendship, centered around the gospel that gives us this Christian fellowship.

Likewise, my daughter’s second grade teacher was someone we enjoyed immensely right from the start. She left the school after a few years when her first child was born, but we kept in touch through church.

When my daughter reached high school age, this former teacher led a summer Bible study for her and a few other friends. This was a wonderful investment in their lives as they began a new stage of life. Now she lives just down the street from us, and my daughter babysits for her. Gospel relationships. One generation to the next.

Another of my husband’s former students began a mentoring ministry. A few years ago, my daughter and I were able to attend the conference for teen girls, where the moms (mentors) also received training. Last year, I also attended her mentoring conference for adults with my mom and a friend from church.

I love the vision for this ministry: “Legacy Living Ministries is committed to training women of all ages how to engage in an active love relationship with God, apply His Word and disciple like Jesus. They have seen and believe that through discipleship and mentoring relationships people begin to grow exponentially in their active love relationship with God and their understanding of how to live out His Word in their everyday life.”

When our friend comes to our home once or twice a year, she is so intentional with talking to both of my children and getting underneath the surface to hear what’s going on in their lives and encourage them in their faith. I love how God has gifted her and is using her.

How thankful I am for the teachers, pastors, friends, and family who have taken time to invest in our children. So many come to mind. It makes me ask myself how I am investing in others’ lives. There are so many ways to do that, including teaching children’s Sunday school at church or having a Bible study or praying for these students regularly.

We can always invest while being invested in, learning from the generation ahead of us who have sought the Lord and have insights we have yet to see, and helping teach the next generation who are maybe just beginning in their own walks of faith. We can be involved in peer relationships as well. It’s always enriching to leave lunch with a friend having had gospel conversations that spur us on in our faith and encourage us to love God more.

What ways have you seen this happen in your life?