Here are four stories from ministries CAYM has trained since 2005. The lives of these youth were transformed by the grace of God through faithfulness of the program staff and volunteers.

Kids growing up without a dad must face life’s challenges without the fatherly influence that can strengthen them. Jimmy* has never met is dad as he grows up in his Ozarks community. His single mom is overwhelmed with a half dozen other kids after being abandoned by the father. This young boy’s challenge is the relentless bullying in school which is more often experienced by boys without active dads.  

Thanks to Ozarks Summit Ministries, Jimmy now has a caring mentor in his life to help fortify him as he matures. It is sometimes hard for boys like Jimmy to trust a mentor after a father’s abandonment. Ozarks Summit’s Executive Director, Jared Cates, used CAYM’s services so they could carefully screen, equip, and coach Jimmy’s mentor to be a faithful and effective male influence so that Jimmy will not be broken by the bullying.  

Jared started Ozarks Summit with the help of CAYM’s team as they worked together to design and equip the ministry to build a safe, effective and sustainable program. Jimmy is their first mentee. Jared states that CAYM was “instrumental in facilitating church and community buy-in and providing the training for a solid footing to start on.” Jared asks for prayer as they will be making more matches in February and need even more mentors next month to meet the needs of kids in their local schools. CAYM will continue to support Jared with training, consulting, and Quality Assurance reviews as they grow. You can view Ozark Summit’s website here.  

School was such a challenge for Nicki that it left her two years behind the rest of her peers. Sitting in classes as a thirteen year-old with kids who were much younger discouraged her even further. Students like Nicki are prime candidates to drop out of school.

That’s when a mentor came into her life. Pam was not a prime candidate to spend time with a struggling teenager. She had four teenagers at home along with a two-year-old toddler – all boys. But Pam felt God’s call to reach out beyond her own comfort zone to bring hope into a young life. (Pam may also have been motivated by wanting to escape her male-dominated home to hang out with a girl.) She became Nicki’s friend during the crucial teen years and supported her as her grandfather passed away. She also gave Nicki guidance when her father called her for a first-time conversation. Events like these are often triggers that can upend an already fragile life, but Nicki had the support of a faithful friend.

There were many times when Nicki wanted to quit. Pam not only encouraged her to persevere, she made regular contact with Nicki’s teachers in order to monitor her progress. By the time Nicki reached her senior year, Pam’s teenage crew were adults, and her two-year old was in the third grade. Pam was still there for her mentee.

Nicki made her most crucial life decision during those years. She decided to follow Jesus. She was baptized by Pam’s husband, a pastor in their church in Kansas, and became a member of the congregation. 

It can’t be an easy decision to mentor a hurting girl when you have five boys in your own home. Pam made a sacrifice that brought hope into Nicki’s teenage years and led her into a relationship that will provide hope for the rest of her life and beyond. 
 

Shepherd Christian Community sits in the middle of the most struggling community of Indianapolis, a city where the poverty rate has nearly doubled since 2000. This Nazarene church has a congregation made up mostly of impoverished families in the area. Their innovative programs include an elementary school that helps youth who would otherwise attend underperforming schools served by an overwhelmed staff. They realized that the youth in the school and in the community needed more. Kids growing up without two healthy parents need mentors, especially when faced with multi-generational poverty. 

One of the critical factors in breaking the cycle of poverty is when people find they have something to give to others. Before getting a mentor, Jayzon would frequently avoid any tasks beyond the basics needed to survive. After getting a mentor through Shepherd, he set a goal to be more compassionate and more aware of the needs of his neighborhood. But what could one teenager do in a poor, decaying community? 

Jayzon had an idea. Every Friday after school Jayzon walked his neighborhood, picked up trash, and got to know his neighbors. As time went on, he involved his siblings, cousins, and friends in his community improvement project. He was able to make an impact on his neighborhood, and many neighbors expressed their appreciation for his hard work and dedication to his neighborhood. His attitude towards his neighborhood changed because he was able to make an impact from something as simple as picking up trash. The more important change came in Jayzon’s view of himself and his future.
 

“I had little faith and often questioned my beliefs, but all changed when I was paired with MUKANTWALI Florida. She often encouraged me to explore my own questions about God. One  moment in my journey was when my mentor shared her own story of loneliness and  how she overcame it through prayer and reading Bible, hearing her talk about her struggles made me realize I wasn’t alone in my feelings, she encouraged me and help me to get much rooted in Christ. For the first time, I felt like I was truly discovering who God was.” 

“Mentoring experience also transformed my faith and helped me grow in my relationship with Christ. Instead of just reading scriptures, we would discuss their meanings and how they applied to my life. For the first time, I felt like I was truly discovering who God was.  

Through  church activities and my mentor, I am growing from being with little faith to one who actively seeks God in every aspect of my life. My relationship with my family has also improved, I’ve learned to communicate openly and appreciate their support.” 

UWIDUHAYE Martha was matched with her mentor in MUKANTWALI Florida in 2023. This was translated from Kinyarwanda by Twagirimana Eugene 

Donnovan and I had the privilege of meeting with our Rwandan leadership team for a full day of planning late in February. The highlight of our day consisted of hearing testimonies like the one recorded above. We were also able to visit one site where 106 mentors were working together to transform the youth in a very rural section of Northern Rwanda. We thank you for your support and prayers and celebrate with you regarding God’s good fruit through the faithful work of our Rwandan partners.  

Ken Merrifield
International Director