December 2021 Recap
Happy New Year! We hope December was marked by joy and filled with rest, and that you were able to spend time with your family and loved ones. Coming into a new year, there's always a list of resolutions. Goals. Dreams. Ideas. But a resolution for us at Forerunner that we will commit to year after year is this: build more relationships. Relationships with kids to fulfill their potential through mentoring, programs, and supporting families. Thank you for following us along into another year.
K-6 Program Christmas Party
Our boys had a blast this past month during their Christmas party. The day was filled with games, arts & crafts, food, and fun! Each boy was also gifted a basketball of their own for Christmas!
The boys make a Christmas Card.
Our attempt to get a goofy photo of all the boys.
Staff Christmas Party.
We celebrated and honored our leadership staff with some of our board of directors at Cane Rosso.
Our Squad.
These people make up our leadership team at Forerunner.
Birthdays.
We celebrated 2 birthdays this month. Carrie + Kara (middle). We are so thankful for all they do and to have them on our team.
K-6 Program
I'm constantly asking myself: Am I doing what God would expect of me and am I loving these kids the way he wants me to?
I've probably cried 3-4 times since leaving program and a couple times at program. I ask myself “what is wrong with you? Why are you crying so much?"
I then realized it's because I've separated my heart into 30 something pieces and put them into the hands of these boys.
Mentoring looks different for each coach. Discipline looks different for each coach. Reinforcement looks different for each coach. Relationships look different for each coach. But the heart for Jesus and for them is the same. The love is the same. And that is what is changing lives.
Today, God showed me I'm exactly who I'm supposed to be in each of their lives for a reason. I had several boys write me the sweetest notes because they know affirmation is how I receive love best. Those of which included “I'm a man of God because of you.” “You are the kindest person I know” “you make all of us smile no matter how bad we are” “you make me happy and feel better always even if I'm in trouble” “you are an amazing coach and my favorite ever” “thank you coach Bailey”. Then boy after boy came up to me and asked if I would write them a note for them to keep over the break.
One of my boys tried Chick-fil-A for the first time this month...he's been talking all month about how excited he was to finally try it. He ran over and sat next to me as he ate his chicken sandwich. I asked him why he didn't eat it at school as he's peeling half of it off and he said “because I wanted to try it for the first time with you” and goes to hand me half of his chicken sandwich. I asked him why he was giving me half because it's the best food ever and he needed it allllll. His response was “because you give us all stuff all the time and we don't ever deserve it. I want to be like that”
One day last month, we were all circled around and praying for Vivian and their family. They are having a hard time finding a home and have to move out in a week. One of my boys was the last kid to leave so he was hanging around. In the beginning he was playing with the basketball and just doing his own thing. A little bit into it, he came up to me and held my hand. He had no idea what we were praying for but he saw us and wanted to be apart. Kids don't just watch what their parents do. They watch any person who has any sort of influence in their life. They watch us. How we love Jesus. How we love people. How we love each other. How we love them. And eventually they will begin to form into what they are being exposed to. I want to be a mentor that leads them to Jesus. Leads them to prayer. Leads them to passion. Leads them to purity. Leads them to power. Thankful for the intentional moments like these that God creates in our after school program.
-Bailey Falkner, K-6 Coach
One of my boys told me today on the van that he knows God is real. To preface, a few months ago he said he believed in God, but wished God would give him a sign that He's actually real. Fast forward to today where he is telling me how he was scared to tell his mom that he broke his beyblade, but before getting into the car to tell her, he prayed “God is with me”. When he told her she wasn't mad or anything like he expected. He was excitedly and confidently saying “I know God is real! He showed me!”
Even in the little things like broken beyblades, God is intentionally showing up for his kid.
-Caitlyn Moudy, K-6 Coach
"What are some ways you've grown this semester?"
"I gotten better at math and grown in my relationship with God"
"I've gained a lot more friends this year since last year, I'm getting new ones like every single day"
"I've gotten more mature since last year"
"I've gotten overall smarter"
"I've gained a new member in my family"
"What do you wanna grow in next semester?"
"I want to get better at math"
"I want to learn to be more pastoral"
"I want to get better at cursive"
"I want to get better at handwriting so I can be a writer one day"
"I want to learn more of the ways of God so I can be more like him"
Raw, honest, unfiltered answers from our boys. They are the next generation of world changers, writers, leaders, and pioneers. Relationships change lives.
Women’s Ministry
Our moms had their Christmas Party during Ladies' Night this past month! It was a blast to have all the moms of the boys we serve in our program in one room for dinner, games (we played an intense game of White Elephant) and pictures! We had 18 moms attend, the most we've ever had in a room all together!
Junior High
This month, I gave one of the junior high kids a job. I asked him to run ProPresenter for church in the hopes that it would keep him at least a little engaged. I didn’t think he’d pay attention to the message as there’s be nothing to do, but I hoped having to change the lyrics in the songs would at least keep him present and involved. What we received was so much more than that.
First, he crushed it. He got exactly 5 minutes of training on how to use the program, and ran most of the service without needing my help. Second, Coach Caitlyn felt God put it on her heart this morning preparing for church that we needed to sing "Reckless Love" after her message and pushed for it to happen. About halfway through the song, I noticed the words weren’t changing the way they should have been. I looked over to see what he was doing, and he was leaned back, eyes closed, and singing. Not mouthing the words, not zoned out in his own world. He was singing. He was legitimately worshipping his Heavenly Father without a care in the world. I quietly snuck over, reached around him so he couldn’t feel my presence, and ran ProPresenter until he opened his eyes. When he did, we had the following conversation:
Student: oh crap! I forgot about the words!
Me: That’s okay, I’ve got it. I’d much rather you worship than worry about running the slides.
Y'all, I’m wrecked. I haven’t stopped sobbing since.
Believe the best: If I hadn’t squashed the perfectionist tech theatre professional in me, I would have ruined the most important thing to have happened in this student and my lives today. I started with “why aren’t the words changing? That can’t happen” and quickly killed that side of me with “Forget it. My student is worshipping and that’s what is important.” Trust the process: The seeds we are planting WILL bear fruit. It may not be while we are still farming, but it will happen. Relationships change lives: God is changing this kid. This kid is changing me. Neither of us is the same person we were four months ago, and neither of us will be the same person we are now four months from now.
-Joshua Manning, Junior High Coach
Mentoring
Last month, a mentor and his mentee practiced eating a hamburger with no hands. Be assured, our students are learning valuable life skills. 😂💪
Thank you for supporting Forerunner Mentoring.
Pray for us as we lead more boys into manhood and a relationship with Jesus!