What's the Most Challenging Thing You Do in Your Ministry?

Pastors do a lot of different things...some are easy, some are wonderful, some are annoying, some are God-filled, and other things are simple day to day tasks that we are asked to do as pastors, and of course, there are the challenging things that pastors do. Of the many ministry related things I do, my most challenging (and one of the most important!) for me personally is being a Kids Hope Mentor. Kids Hope is a wonderful ministry that pairs a church with an elementary school, then uses church volunteers to be paired with one child for one hour a week. On top of that, each mentor has a prayer partner that is asked to pray for the mentor and the child. One church, one school, one hour, one child. Many people look at me funny when I tell them that this is the most challenging thing for me out of all of the things I do that most people would cringe at the thought of doing, but they don't realize that children's ministry is not my gift, I am not a parent, and I usually want to be involved in ministry where I see results more frequently than say...never in my lifetime.

Most of the kids in the program come from low-income families and have difficult lives. Many parents are in prison, some live with other family members, some cannot afford even simple school supplies, some just get into trouble a lot, some just need attention, most need academic help, etc. I've written on here before about my personal struggles with the child I had for 2 years and whether or not I wanted to remain a mentor. I still struggled with this decision to the point where I asked our director if I could lend my gifts to another area of the program, or if I could be placed with a different child. I gave myself a hard time for feeling like I had given up on the child I spent 2 years with, but she is still in the program and paired with a mentor who I believe is much more suited to her.

So what is going on with me?, you might ask. After some confusion with being initially placed with a very hyper 6 year old boy, I was eventually assigned to a fifth grade girl. We have only met for 2 weeks so far, but I can already tell that she is the perfect fit for me. She is sweet, polite, talks openly with me, and she works hard at everything we have done. She has a difficult family life and really needs some encouragement and positive reinforcement. She is behind in school and I believe has a learning disability, but I am there to help and encourage her. For the first time, I have left the school feeling like I actually made a difference in a child's life, something that I usually don't feel at all. This ministry once left me feeling unfulfilled, and now I feel fulfilled to some extent. That being said, I understand that this ministry is not about me at all, but for the wellness of the child. This was what I was agonizing about before- the hour I spent with my previous child felt like we were not making any progress and we were wasting both of our times. We had a friendship at least, and that was something I could offer her, but I felt that my gifts were not matched with what she needed. Now, I feel like my gifts are being put to good use with this girl I am matched with.

Last week when I went to her classroom to get her, she was down the hall waiting to head back to her classroom after recess. After only having met me a week ago, she starting jumping up and down and waving at me, excited to get down the hall to see me. Kids Hope might be the most challenging thing I do, but I hope that by the end of this year, it will be one of the most wonderful and exciting things I do as well.

Want to learn more about Kids Hope and possibly start a program at your church? Visit their website: http://www.kidshopeusa.org/