Showing Up Matters Most

I was initially introduced to Refugee Resources through an old college roommate while talking about volunteer opportunities around Dallas. Though I had limited extra time in my week between work and other commitments, I knew I wanted to serve somewhere that would be high- impact, somewhere I felt I would truly make a difference. Reading Circle was a perfect fit. International missions and global issues are something I have cared about for a long time, but always felt like I wasn’t in the season of life to affect real change. Spreading the gospel to all people happens every day in our city, and I have the opportunity to participate in a small but important way.

I have been serving at Reading Circle for a little over a year now and it has been a challenging yet rewarding experience. I have worked with three students in that year, with a wide variety of ages and reading levels. Candidly, some weeks are hard especially during the busy season of life when weekdays blur together and my calendar feels like a checklist of commitments, but showing up for Reading Circle is so, so worth it. Each Tuesday night, my student shows up ready to learn and see his friends. And I show up, prayerfully ready to use the Bible story, memory verses, and the atmosphere of focused, personal attention to share God’s love with him.

My current student, Andrew* is about half my age, but somehow already almost my height. By next fall, he is confident that he will be taller than I am (... and he’s probably right, too). Andrew is quiet at first, but ask him a few  questions and he is ready to open up about his week, his family, and the latest game of soccer he played. He is clearly a sharp student, but his work ethic is what stands out. Whether he is sounding out a new word during the Bible story, completing a reading exercise, or memorizing a Bible verse, once he starts something, he focuses until he finishes it. And as quickly as his focus turns to workbooks and memory verses during Reading Circle, it pivots just as quickly back to his friends at the end of the night. Andrew and his friends are constantly joking and laughing together. He is caring, loyal, and loving to his friends and family, and I admire that about him. 

On our walks back to his home each evening, our conversations usually wander through the week ahead and what is on his mind. Andrew is always supremely confident that his week will go well. Whether it is tests, sports events, or everyday school activities, “it’ll be good, I’m not worried about it,” is his usual response. His attitude reminds me of Deuteronomy 31:8: “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Whether we realize it or not, God goes before us in life and sets our paths. Andrew lives this out, and his trusting nature is a lesson I can apply to my own life.
 
At the end of each week at Reading Circle, I can fall into the trap of thinking about how I “did” that week, how I felt I performed, whether my explanation of the Bible story was clear, whether Andrew had fun, whether I felt like I was making a difference. But reflecting on these past months with Andrew, I am struck by how little he cares about that. What matters to him is that I show up. He cares about consistency, not performance.
 
As I think back on the past year, I am encouraged by the work the Lord has done in my own heart through the simple, steady commitment of Reading Circle. In the middle of the week, I take a break, read the Bible with Andrew, and we talk about our shared need for a Savior. Some weeks I feel too busy, too tired, or just not equipped, but then I am reminded as Christians that we are not called to perform or achieve, we are called to step out in faith and follow God. 3 John 1:4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” Through Reading Circle, we get the chance to walk in the truth as we train the next generation to do the same. 
 
Written by: John Clayton
Edited by: Emily Thompson

*Student’s name has been changed to protect privacy.