Our staff met a while ago and discussed what it would look like to have students take part in an evening Family Time on steroids. We felt a need to build more community and go deeper with them. The idea of a “Kin Group” was born that lunch break.
Over the last couple months my heart has been heavy for our alumni. So many students who I’ve been close to and I never hear from them. I run into them at the store or we chat over a memory on Facebook, but that’s about it. Unfortunately, I’ve been seeing a lot more alumni on the local arrests page. Twenty in the last four months actually. Most of those arrests are related to hard drugs, heroin, meth, cocaine etc. A couple battery charges and even a murder charge. These kids are struggling out there.
So we decided to do an alumni Kin Group. Let’s get some of our former students to my house for dinner and an in depth conversation. Ten students showed up to my house on Wednesday night. I was not prepared for the blessing I’d receive.
Cody and Deveron were some of the first to show up. They were two of the four students I had on the first day of school in August of 2012. They’re now in their 30’s! Where does time go? As other students strolled in, classic stories from the “good ole days” were being followed up with huge belly laughs and eye rolls.
After eating, we gathered in the living room to talk about life. Some students shared how they feel lost, don’t know where to go or what to do. Some feel alone, some are depressed. One has a kid on the way. It was a heavy conversation. I had nothing to offer these friends. I couldn’t invite them all back to Kinwell. I don’t have enough time to meet with all of them regularly. Scripture is all I have for them, and honestly, it’s way better than anything I can do.
“For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.”
Ephesians 2:14
I wanted my family to know that Christ has already brought peace to us, regardless of our situations in life. He has united all of us to bring that peace. My family room was diverse in race, gender, family history, religion, and financial income. Yet Christ has united us to bring peace. I’m always available for a phone call or a lunch conversation, but I know they’ll do much better when they learn to accept the peace of Christ that triumphs over all situations.
We spent the rest of the night sharing our stories from the past ten years. I hope you get to hear them sometime. My face was sore from laughing so hard. I was blessed.
