A shared faith journey

Traveling home for the holidays gave me a chance to reflect on the growth of Project Sonshine. I thought of where we started, how far we have come and how much further we have to go.

Project Sonshine pairs younger students with older mentors in the Hampton and Newport News area. Though we look forward, memories from the past strengthen and motivate us. Remembering how uninspired and ladened the children were, motivates me and the other mentors, to continue on our journey to help the kids seek peace in all areas of their life through God. We know that we cannot take away their rough circumstance, but we urge them to rise above their circumstance through prayer.

Mentoring the students is still inspiration for me. When I think of how far we have come, it is a blessing. The children have shared that they do have dreams and the hunger is in their eyes. They are encouraged and know that when life brings trials that can discourage, God is the way. We uplift them through prayer, scripture and Bible games. We also encourage them academically by helping and testing them with their assignments. We try to help them realize their intelligence and encourage them to be proud of the gift of knowledge God gave them. Continuing to help them with their studies instills discipline and focus in them, even when it is challenging to keep going. Instead of staying with them for only an hour, we now stay and mentor them until their guardians pick them up, in which times vary. This helps because our time with them is not rushed; we take our time and cater to their needs spiritually, academically and emotionally.

I am continuing to grow through their eyes of hunger and motivation in the midst of their struggle. I see and feel their fight and I admire their strength and faith in God. Knowing that faith is belief in what we cannot see, the children of Project Sonshine have grown to have FAITH and are still growing. Some feel that their brighter day has not yet come, but they already see it because they believe God has already prepared it; some have been struggling to graduate from the same grade for years, but they believe God will bring them out; they have never met God, but they know that he is real.

We have come so far on this faith journey, but the road ahead is even longer because life is a constant journey. In the New Year and my last semester mentoring the students, I pray and have faith in our strength together in this journey. I want to leave them with ambition, hope and the will to be above their circumstance, instead of becoming their circumstance.

I look forward to continuing on this journey with them, but I do not look forward to taking different paths along the way once the semester is over. I pray strength in the children of Project Sonshine and my strength to encourage and be encouraged.