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Hello Friends,
Just a few short weeks ago, I was sitting at my desk going over my notes for our Fall Fest celebration, which was just about to start. While making last minute edits, my phone rang and it was Derrick, a young man that I hadn’t talked to in a few years and hadn’t seen in even longer. I was shocked to see his name on my phone and even though I only had 5 minutes, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to talk with him. So, I picked up the phone and immediately I knew I made the right decision. He laughed at the sound of my voice and his laugh was just as infectious as it had been when I met him as a 14-year-old.
He wanted to connect, life had been coming at him kind of hard as it does at times, and he was looking to reconnect with God. I won’t go into all of the reasons that life had been hard for Derrick, that’s his story to tell, but I will say it was a combination of things that were out of his control partnered with some bad decisions that he made along the way. Sometimes when life gets hard you go back to a place where you feel safe and secure, and for Derrick he had always felt at home and safe on the North Side, in youth programming, with adults that he knew cared about him and I just happened to be one of those people for him. I was short on time so we scheduled a time to connect later, which I’m looking forward to.
Just a few days later, I got a text message from a young woman, Kennedy, who grew up at The Pittsburgh Project. She had been living out of state for a while and was in town visiting family and asked if she could stop by The Project to visit. As is typically the case when former TPP students reach out, I say come on over. Her family is not far from TPP so shortly after she came down and it was so great to see her. Kennedy’s life hasn’t been perfect but she has had an opportunity to travel and live in different states and meet some amazing people along her journey. I’ll add that I believe Kennedy would have been an amazing person with or without The
Pittsburgh Project but she would say, and she did, that The Pittsburgh Project helped to shape her worldview and all of the steps that she has made in her life and career, and how the importance of being a part of and caring for the community around you was a mindset that was learned at The Pittsburgh Project.
I think about Kennedy and Derrick. I think about the lives that they have lived thus far. And while their lives are very different from each other, I find myself being in a place of gratefulness for having been a part of their journeys. I have to admit that similar to many of you, life feels busy and overwhelming right now. There’s so much hate, violence, lies, and destruction consuming so much space in the world. And if I have to see one more political ad, I’m going to scream. When there is so much wrong in the world the negative thoughts can creep into your mind and whisper, things like “Does any of this good work that we’re doing even matter?” Both Kennedy and Derrick were my reminders that the work matters, that The Pittsburgh Project and places like it matter. This verse from Galatians comes to mind, chapter 6 verse 9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
The Pittsburgh Project will soon be entering its 40th year of existence and over those years we have had many people on the team “grow weary in doing good.” But each time there was a weariness, we found strength in the One who gives strength when we are weak to continue on and not give up. If we had given up there wouldn’t be a place for the Derricks and Kennedys of the world to come back to and share their testimonies with.
I pray that for each of you, that you do not grow weary in the good work in your life. Know that there is a harvest to reap in God’s timing. Know that we are grateful for your partnership in this work and that it’s often your support that encourages us to not give up as we continue our purpose of sharing hope, empowering youth, and building community.
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