Lately, I’ve enjoyed reminiscing about the beginnings as we celebrate 5 years of being in NLR.
One of the first young men that we met was Cody. He was playing basketball with several guys.
I walked up and asked if anyone in their group was interested in a job. Without hesitation,
Cody walked up to me. He introduced himself and shook my hand, “Yes ma’am, I’m interested
in a job.”
He was at our first StreetLeader retreat and helped us start our first Summer Camp. He has a
smile and personality that could light up a whole room. Everybody loved Cody.
The following school year proved to be a tumultuous time in his family. His mom abruptly
moved and he left UrbanPromise sooner than I would have liked, but I’ll never forget the time
we shared. The last time I saw him was when he happened to drive by while we were
Christmas caroling with our campers. He got out of his car and gave me a big hug. Same smile.
I reached out to him a few weeks ago and he shared his responses to my questions about how
he’d experienced transformation, witnessed God at work at UP, and his prayer for the future of
UP,
UPAR really shaped me up for life. It got me prepared in so many ways, and I’m so thankful
for the chance to be a part of that.
I experienced God through the Word we would talk about. The skits and games and songs made
it easy to tune in. I witnessed God working on me and all the other street leaders. From the time
I walked in and out the door I was a different person.
I pray that UPAR would be a generational thing. I pray that God watch everyone and protect
and manifest the well-being of all. I pray that everything comes from the heart. Amen.
We are grateful that God has allowed us to continue working with young people like Cody. Through Him, our youth have had the opportunity to experience life-change and become change makers.