In an increasingly unstable world,
hope is still the most important thing.
This month, we are sharing some of our “hope highlights” from the last 4 weeks.
May these short stories bring you hope.
God Sighting
"My husband and I starting mentoring one of Stand in the Gap's young adults so we could experience having a team with the Life Launch program.
We have been with this young adult for a few months and it has been great!
Many Life Launch teams wonder how much impact they are truly making. And I would say, in our short time with our mentee, we have wondered the same things for ourselves. BUT we received some really cool encouragement this past week...
Our mentee was in the hospital and while we were visiting her, she shared that she has been in a relationship with a guy for the past few months and did not want to tell us.
When we asked how the relationship is going, she told us she recently broke up with him because he cheated on her.
During her conversation with him, he responded by telling her she is "weak-minded" and "needed to put more effort into the relationship".
She quickly responded to him saying, "No, I am not weak-minded. I will take you to Mr. Chris and Mrs. Kat and if you ask Mr. Chris if he would ever act like this in his relationship with Mrs. Kat, he will tell you 'No' and Mrs. Kat would agree. Do you want to go over to their house?"
Our mentee defended herself so well against his attempted manipulation.
My husband started tearing up when she told him because we are just so dang proud of her!!
She is 21 years old and has never, ever seen a healthy relationship in her life. It was amazing to see that just by spending time with us, she was able to know her worth in that situation! Such a win."
-Kat, Life Launch Program Manager at Stand in the Gap
New WIT Partner
A Perfect Match!
We launch new teams regularly, but we have to admit... this one is SO clearly crafted by God!
When we first met our young adult Camari, she shared she was looking to connect with mentors who can help her with high school, handling money, and where to go for college.
Allow us to introduce you to her three mentors...
🎓 Teacher
💵 Banker
🏫 College Board Member
That's right - a perfect match of three volunteers with one young adult 💜
Wanna know something even cooler?? The college her mentor is on the board of... yeah, it's located down the street from Camari's house!!
We are so excited for this Life Launch Team! And are so thankful all these connections were made.
New LL Partner: OK City Center
City Center is an official partner!
Our Life Launch Program Manager Kat spends some time with the young adults there every month, helping with their athletic and cooking program.
Through the relationships we are building with the young adults at City Center, we are able to introduce them to Stand in the Gap and connect them with Life Launch mentors if they're interested in taking that step with us!
"We made it!!"
A Legacy of Hope: Jacque
Jacque graduated from Stand in the Gap's Women in Transition small group last month 🎉
The team prayed and decided to stay together and come around a new program participant, Charlotte!
We love when we see our mentees receive help, grow, then give back as mentors! 🙌
Jacque accomplished A TON of great things during her 12 months with Stand in the Gap -
Transportation, Reunification with Children, Employment, Finances, Social Skills, Life Skills, Agency, Felt Safety, and Longevity
These are great milestones we measure with our mentees, BUT what we think is the COOLEST part... Jacque's daughter decided to participate in rehab following in her mother's footsteps.
And THIS is creating a Legacy of Hope, friends 💜
WIT Graduate Update
While at Heather's Hope, Ashley took the Stand in the Gap Women in Transition courses. She then connected with a small group of mentors. "I attend church with them," Ashley said. "They share parenting advice with me. Oftentimes you kinda feel like you’re abnormal... Like, you’re the only one going through things. But they showed me how relatable we were in many ways. They never made me feel out of place."
Ashley shares the most impactful thing she learned from her Stand in the Gap mentors was the importance of who she allows in her life, and in her children's lives.
Ashley reunited with her kids and shared a recent update saying things are going well. Her family is involved in their community, sports, school, and friends... together now 💜
"My Stand in the Gap small group made me feel like there was hope," Ashley says. "They introduced me to a different lifestyle."
God Sighting
People supporting people. It was so fun providing lunch for Hope is Alive last month!
