A Serious Case of the Mondays
Dear Friends,
Have you ever had a “case of the Mondays?” You know…those days when nothing seems to go right and you’re just in a bad mood?
A few weeks ago, in mid-July, I had a serious case of the Mondays. (And it actually was a Monday.) It was the first day of our summer basketball camp, and the Leverage Ministries staff was up early to get things ready.
The day started going downhill fast when the two vans we had reserved weren’t ready for us. In the weeks prior, I called three different times to confirm the van rentals. But when we showed up at 9 AM to get them, there were none on the lot, and the staff at the rental place acted like they had no idea what I was talking about. It took quite a while to sort out the mess, and the entire time, I was frustrated and ready to cancel camp.
They finally found two vans at a different location, but things just continued to go wrong after that. Roadblock after roadblock kept popping up before we had even picked the boys up for camp. I couldn’t keep the frustration and discouragement from putting me in a bad mood. I definitely didn’t feel prepared to direct 30 middle school and high school boys in basketball camp or share Christ with hurting these teens.
But on that Monday morning before the camp officially kicked off — when I was so discouraged and ready to quit — I received a call from the mom of one of the boys. She shared with me about how much her son’s life had changed since he got involved with Leverage Ministries.
She said, “Pastor Scott, he’s a different kid. His behavior has changed. He’s stopped cussing, and he’s respectful. I just wanted to call you and thank you for all you’ve done for my son. Please don’t ever stop doing what you’re doing. It saved my son. What you’re doing is making a difference.”
This teenager had accepted Christ earlier this year, and I had watched him change. It was exciting to hear that he was living this out at home as well. His dad is in prison for life, his 13-year-old sister just had a baby and his mom is doing the best she can to provide for her family. Knowing that our work had made a difference was a much-needed reminder from God.
I walked into the gym with a new attitude, and we went on to have a great week of camp.
Ministry can be really hard, but calls like that make it all worth it. Seeing Jesus change the lives of these at-risk teenagers is worth it.
Thank you for your prayers and continued financial support. We couldn’t do what we do without you.
We have some exciting things coming up this fall, so be watching your email and the Leverage Ministries social media for announcements about upcoming events.
We appreciate you!
Scott Hirdes, on behalf of Leverage Ministries
