In these chapters Perkins commits his life to following Jesus and immediately jumps into the work of ministry and evangelism. In addition to living a changed life and telling people about it, John Perkins' faith also focuses heavily on mentoring.
"Every Tuesday night I sat with my white teacher, Mr. Wayne Leitch. God was taking me step by step. First He showed me black people changed by the gospel. Now He was showing me that it had power even for whites.
"Mr. Leitch didn't hold me back with any rigid ideas of what he thought my abilities ought to be. When he saw what I could handle, he offered to work with me during afternoons as well" (75).
"But I had more than survived. God had let me succeed where these young men had failed. I had a good job, good opportunities. My wife had a good job and all that, too. And here these young men were – in jail, in trouble. Yet God loved these young me no less than he loved me.
"So if God had done all this for me, and if He loved these others no less than He did me, what did all this mean? What did it say to my plans for my "good" Christian life?
"Well, first thing, I saw more clearly that the roots of many of the black man's problems in the ghetto were really the unsolved problems of the South I had left. I couldn't escape a conviction growing up inside of me that God wanted me back in Mississippi, to identify with my people there, and to help them break up the cycle of despair – not by encouraging them to leave, but by showing them new life right where they were" (79).
As you think about your own journey of faith and personal development,
What impact have mentors had on your life?
Have you had the opportunity to mentor others? In what ways?
Incidentally, if you come from a church background where evangelism isn't emphasized, or if it's difficult to explain what it is we do when we "give our lives to Jesus," you might enjoy True Story by James Choung. In narrative form (Yes, it borders on college love story, but it's based in Seattle, so that balances out) Choung outlines a metaphor for Christian conversion that goes beyond the famous Bridge Diagram (http://www.navigators.org/us/resources/illustrations/items/The%20Bridge%20to%20Life) to focus on God's plan for reconciliation and restoration of everything, and believers' role in carrying out that transformation. It's a good read.
Also, maybe you wondered to yourself: "What's a Quonset hut?" (pg. 78) I'm so glad you asked! http://www.google.com/search?q=Quonset&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&prmd=ivnsm&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=bdYMTsacF6vTiAKD24jhDQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CEAQ_AUoAQ&biw=991&bih=684
One of the most important mentors I have had in my life was my youth minister, Nick. He guided me when I first became a Christian and later encouraged me to start a Bible study in which I became a mentor to others. I led a Bible study for my youth group all of high school. It was difficult for me at first being in that leadership position especially because I was very shy. But Nick met with me weekly mentoring me in leading that study through which I mentored others, and it has been one of the most rewarding things I have done.
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