The following was written by Barbara Scorza, our Director of Operations here at Fellowship North. She shares about the impact a mentor can have on a student.
Do You Have a Compass? Are You A Compass?
January is National Mentoring Month and the North Little Rock Mayor’s Youth Council (NLRMYC) honored eleven mentors at their Third Annual Compass Awards Ceremony.
What a fitting name for an award that recognizes mentors! A compass is an instrument that we rely on to determine direction and a mentor, sometimes unbeknownst to them, is a person that determines direction, through their words, actions and in some cases, just by listening and allowing the person to know they are worthy. I have heard time and time again from young people how having a mentor in their lives helped them in their decision-making, paving the way for them to live a life of purpose.
I had an opportunity to attend this event and listen to the words of eleven Council members as they read a personal tribute to their mentors and presented them with an award. I must admit, I went because Kenderick, my son, had nominated Mark Palmer, but hearing the words of each student was such a blessing.
This is the third year Jan Scholl, Director NLRMYC, has held this event. Council members were asked to choose adults who had set them on or kept them on the right path, and had played a large role in helping them to become who they are today.
It was a very moving event; we got to hear these students speak words of encouragement into the lives of their mentors, for all the encouraging words and lessons they had been speaking to them.
Mentor honorees were Mark Palmer, Eugene Turner, Sherry Ratliff, John David Pittman, Ed Scott, Jerry Butler, Amanda Ware, Shirley Lindsey, Christen Pitts, Betsy Jones, and Nancy Moore. Council members are Kenderick Scorza, Micah Turner, Shannon Holman, Connor Ratliff, Justin Klucher, Brisa Bartczak, Grant DePoyster, Winston Meyer, Justin Lindsey, Kaley Scott, and Daley Johnston.
These are the words Kenderick spoke about his mentor, Mark Palmer.
I’d like to introduce you to my friend and mentor, Mark Palmer. He started a small study group that consisted of several teenagers. Since the time was so early, the rest of the group stopped coming. I still wanted to meet, so at 8:00 in the morning, every Sunday, he comes and picks me up at my house. We go to a nearby restaurant and we discuss different topics about God in our time together before church.
Mark has had a very strong influence in my life. In our meetings, he has showed me that you must be humble in all that you do, and that has offered me help when I am in need.
He has also shown me that you must help others when you are able. One time, my mother and I and my church’s pastor were on our way to see a friend of ours who was in the hospital at the time. Out of the blue, my mother’s car broke down. We called him up, and he drove all the way to Texas from Arkansas to take us to see our friend, and even got his family to allow us to sleep in their home that night. That situation helps me continue the service I do for others.
I admire his love of helping others and that he’s willing to share his wisdom with those who ask. I would like to thank him for all that he does. He is a great man and is a walking example of the word “humble.”
Mark, you are a very, immensely important part of my life and I thank you once again for showing me what it is like to be an incredible individual.
Filed under: faith in action, peak ministries, senior high, student, unity
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