Hello upLIFTers!
I hope your summer is going well. Things are in full swing with LIFT’s Outdoor Adventure Program, and our students have been having a blast! It’s from the Ft O Youth Center that this week’s story comes…
Zeke is one of our middle school students in Ft O. He is LEARNING to swim, but he’s not quite there. As long as he wears a life jacket, we said he’s welcome to still come on our summer trips. Last week when we went to Big Soddy Creek to play for the day, two of our High School students (boys who DO know how to swim) were wearing life jackets and jumping off rocks into the water – you know, just because it was more fun!
They saw Zeke on the sidelines, struggling with fear and shame. They encouraged him to join in – to grab a life jacket so he could jump off the rocks with them and have fun “swimming”. He did! And they had a great time that day! It was super sweet to see the older boys be supportive and encouraging, and to not make it embarrassing that Zeke couldn’t swim super well, but empower him to engage anyway.
This interaction between a couple of high schoolers and a struggling middle schooler is a perfect example of our mission. That day in the VERY cold waters of a beautiful creek, Zeke was “Loved as you are” and simultaneously “Inspired to be more”; then before he could be scared, he was “Found in community” side by side as they jumped! Our high schoolers were “Trusted to make a difference” – and they did! I hope I get to give an update at the end of the summer on Zeke’s swimming progress, but I am already thrilled with the mission-win that occurred. Thank you for helping to make these wins possible!
