Mentors Make the Difference at Paul Anderson Youth Home

The mentors at Paul Anderson Youth Home play a pivotal role in shaping the lives of the young men in our charge. Combined with our Christ-centered program, their impact becomes even more profound. In a world filled with challenges and temptations that our residents have already succumbed to, the everyday influence of mentors who embody Christian values provides guidance, support, and inspiration. Our mentors focus on their ability to foster spiritual growth, instill moral values and a strong work ethic, and guide young individuals to better habits and decision-making that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

As role models and the staff members who young men interact with the most, demonstrating a genuine faith and commitment to Christ is essential. By active engagement, mentors create a bond of trust and a safe environment to explore and deepen their relationship with God. Paul Anderson Youth Home puts a heavy emphasis on Bible studies and prayer time because we believe this is how a strong foundation in Christian principles is built. When our young men grow spiritually, everything else just falls into place. We’ve heard so many first-hand accounts from some of the boys who arrived in a defiant posture, attempting to do only the bare minimum while here. Time and time again, once they let God into their lives, the rest seems to come easy. When that breakthrough moment is needed, our mentors help make it happen.

Another expectation of a mentor is creating opportunities for worship and fellowship and helping young people connect and feel comfortable sharing their faith. This builds community and a sense of belonging, critical aspects to expanding faith and being part of a larger group guided by Christ’s teachings. By simply setting an example or directly helping teach our young men how to better deal with difficult situations that test their moral fiber, individually or as a group, mentors have several ways to make positive reinforcements of faith. Building a sense of belonging is one of them. It isn’t easy to maintain a high standard of morality, so our mentors reinforce to our young men their responsibility to live as ambassadors of Christ in a secular world. By stressing these values, mentors help individuals to become a positive influence wherever their life after Paul Anderson Youth Home takes them.

Once a firm foundation of faith has been attained, mentors can help their charges explore and deepen their faith. They provide a listening ear, which comes in handy when we have new arrivals just starting to understand Christ’s teachings on a more mature level. Mentors guide our young men through their doubts, questions, and struggles. Through open and honest conversations, mentors help our young men grapple with deeper concepts of Christ’s teachings, encouraging them to seek a more profound understanding of their beliefs. Mentors also help by sharing their own experiences and testimonies. Many have extensive experience working with young people in crisis, and they inspire perseverance in faith, most importantly during times of uncertainty or adversity.

In the context of our Christ-centered mission, Paul Anderson Youth Home mentors play a vital role in shaping recovered and restored lives. By fostering spiritual growth, instilling moral values, and guiding faith exploration, mentors help develop a strong foundation in faith and equip our young men with the strength to navigate the complexities of the world. We expect a lot from those that graduate from our program. We want them to stay out of trouble with the law and stay in God’s good graces through their everyday deeds and actions. We want them to be contributing members of society. We want them to be leaders in their communities. And we want them to spread the message of Christ’s love and compassion. Through their selfless dedication, our mentors contribute significantly to accomplishing these goals.

Shepherding the youth to responsible adulthood through the Word of the Lord is a value our founder Paul Anderson strongly believed in. Our mentors are the living representations of Paul Anderson’s legacy.

If you’re interested in fulfilling God’s calling on your life to be a mentor at the Paul Anderson Youth Home, contact our Executive Director, Betty Burris, today at (912) 537-7237 or bburris@payh.org.