I was commissioned as a Salvation Army officer on Sunday, June 22, 1997. That afternoon I kept thinking about Lee and the pivotal part he had played in my life. On my way home from commissioning, I decided to stop in Amherst, N.S., to let him know how thankful I was that he took an interest in me.

I was 15 when my family moved to Amherst. I immediately struck up a good relationship with Lee and his family. Lee was very genuine and welcoming. You felt like you were at home when you were with him. Lee had a swimming pool that we made good use of that first summer. He invited me to the Oxford Exhibition, where he displayed the prize-winning fruit and vegetables he grew in his backyard. He also raised some chickens, and we’d often go through the coop and check for fresh eggs.

Lee and I played music together at church. Every Sunday evening following worship, Lee would take me home after practice. It was a time to talk and share some of the difficult challenges in my life. Lee was there for me at a time when my life was a rollercoaster. I was struggling in high school and confused about career choices. I harboured an intense anger at the world. But Lee accepted me for who I was. 

I don’t know if I would have made it if it weren’t for Lee’s coming alongside me. This type of intentional mentoring doesn’t require a program or an agenda. It requires someone to be courageous enough to befriend and invest in the younger generation. Lee didn’t use a curriculum. He invited me into his life. 

I’ve used that same pattern as I’ve invited a small group of youth into my life. Our interactions have been as simple as an invitation into my home for a meal or a discussion over coffee. (As Starbucks says, “Life happens over coffee.”) It’s not always perfect, but it’s real. Mentoring is like inviting young people into an adoptive spiritual relationship.

There are many spiritual orphans in the church that are longing to be adopted. They yearn for someone to come alongside them, invest in them and pour Jesus into their lives. Young people want to follow God’s will in their own distinctive way, but they quietly long for the godly input of spiritually mature followers of Jesus to help them along the journey.

Since I’ve taken the time to invest in and befriend youth, they’ve returned the favour. Mentoring is give and take, win-win. The sharing and blessing goes both ways. As I’ve witnessed growth and transformation in those I mentor, they’ve witnessed it in me. 

As a mentor of mine once shared with me, it’s important to look for and be aware of what God is doing in your life on a weekly basis. Our advice and testimony are much more palatable to youth when fresh, current and honest. A good mentor is ready to share what Jesus is doing in his life that week.

Mentoring requires more than a program; it requires a relationship. It does not require perfection; it requires faithfulness and obedience. Seize the opportunity and get to know the young person that God impresses on your heart and mind. Take them out for a coffee or invite them over for a meal. Ask them how they are doing and genuinely give them your attention. Listen to them and offer encouragement. Don’t seek to have all the answers or the quick fix—just love them!

Don’t underestimate who God is making you to be and how he’s wired you. You don’t need to wait until you have the counselling credentials or academic knowledge to make a difference in the life of a child. Start small. Start with one.