"I now go to school more and socialise" the Hope in authentic relationships
It’s been a tough day, week even. Sometimes our best laid plans, our hopes for others circumstances, just don’t work out do they? We struggle to make sense of what we are doing and then we are given a glimpse of the real purpose behind our ministry and relationships we are building.
This day was one of those tough days, I was struggling to keep up and positive, leaders are supposed to do that aren’t we? Stopping at our Hope Cafe for a few minutes and one of our new participants in the training program caught my eye and said “Hi” and then asked the question that many people say every single day “How are you today?”
I was challenged in nano seconds how to respond, do I just flippantly respond with the usual “All Good” and move on or do I be real and authentic in the moment? I chose to be real “You know actually I’m struggling with some big feelings at the moment. Not in a super bad way, but it’s hard right now. However I know it’s all going to be ok, I have faith in that, it’s just tough right now but things will get better, I’m going to be ok.”
They held my eye contact through the exchange and then a touch longer of real connection. “How are you doing?” I asked “I’m ok I’m taking in a lot of things being here and a lot is changing for me.” they explained. I moved around to the back of the cafe to get alongside them as they spoke. Understanding a tiny bit of their story, I know it’s tough for this young person. I asked if they were ok here in the Cafe, was it anything to do with speaking to people and being around more people than normal? They nodded and said “I used to sit in my unit all by myself, I wouldn’t speak to anyone near me. I hardly went to school it was hard. But since coming here, I’m talking to heaps of people, I’m now going to school more. I’m here more days and when I go home I actually visit with people. I’m making some good changes.”
What a blessing it was to hear the growth in someones life, the hope rising up for them. Enough that they recognised what’s changing positively. Even in the most challenging times there are reminders that there are great things at play and real difference being made in lives through the work of Teen Challenge Tasmania. Building relationships, supporting, encouraging and being authentic even when it’s tough makes a difference in lives and even our own. It truly is going to be ok.
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