looking back, looking forward

When I was in high school, a college student named Allyson spent a lot of time working with my youth group. After I moved away from Brentwood - first to Knoxville for college and then on to Washington, D.C. - we lost touch. I knew that she left the Nashville area later as well - first for seminary in Fort Worth and then on to New England, where she continues to minister to students through her work with the Baptist Convention of New England. 

Allyson and I recently reconnected through Facebook, and today we saw each other face-to-face for the first time in over 20 years. Talking with her brought back a lot of memories, and God used our conversation to confirm some stirrings in my heart. She told me that she has remained in contact through the years with a group of girls she began mentoring back in the 80s - girls she taught for three consecutive years in Sunday School beginning in their sophomore year. These "girls" are now 40-year-old women, but they continue to gather annually to nurture the bonds that were forged back in their teenage years. 

I couldn't help but think about my relationships with the girls in the Class of 2009 at my church, girls who I have been teaching in Sunday School for the past three years. I have promised them that I will continue to mentor them after they head off to college this fall, and it's exciting to me to ponder the prospect of us still getting together regularly over two decades from now (not so exciting to think how old I'll be then). Allyson made a long-term investment in "her" girls, I hereby pledge to do the same.