EP. 97: Mentoring the Youth with Kelcie Shack

Healing often begins with something simple: a steady presence. In this episode, Kelcie Shack, executive director of Red Door Jackson, shares how consistent mentoring can change a child’s life.

From her own journey through suffering and faith to the everyday challenges facing many students in Mississippi, Kelsey offers a compassionate look at what kids truly need: not someone to fix them, but someone willing to show up, listen, and stay.

Through stories of trust, mentorship, and hope, this conversation highlights the power of faithful presence and the life-changing impact of investing in the next generation.

Special thanks to our sponsors: 

Nissan, St. Dominic's Hospital, Atmos Energy, Regions Foundation, Mississippi College, Anderson United Methodist Church, Grace Temple Church, Mississippi State University, Real Christian Foundation, Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Christian Life Church, Ms. Doris Powell, Mr. Robert Ward, and Ms. Ann Winters.

Transcript

Welcome And Mission Snapshot

SPEAKER_04 0:12

This is Living Reconcile, a podcast dedicated to giving our communities practical evidence of the gospel message by helping Christians learn how to live in the reconciliation that Jesus has already secured for us by living with grace across racial lines. Hey, thanks so much for joining us on this episode of Living Reconcile. I am your host, Brian Crawford, and uh I am not with my dear friend Nettie Winters. He is uh off um and hanging out and doing some very important things. Um, but I get a chance to hang out with a really, really, really, really interesting and incredible friend um by the name of Kelsey Shack. You will hear from her in just a moment. But I do want to give a quick shout out and say thanks to all of our sponsors. We are 97 episodes into this uh podcast, and it is in large part because of God's grace towards us through you. Uh folks like Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Pine Lake Church, uh, folks like Atmos Energy and Regents Foundation and St. Dominic's Hospital, uh, people like uh Bob Ward and Doris Powell and Ann Winters, um, all of your incredible generosity makes what we do possible. And it's not only this podcast, but it's the work of Mission Mississippi, the larger work of reconciliation that is taking place across the state of Mississippi. We encourage you to join uh this group of illustrious reconcilers and bridge builders as we navigate through difference and divide to build a uh better, uh better uh Mississippi, but ultimately to represent the kingdom as it should be represented. And you can do so by visiting missionmississippi.org. Again, the address is missionmississippi.org. There should be a big button at the top of the top right of the page that you can click and it's the donate button. And if you would like to donate to this work and the larger work of what we do across the state and beyond, uh we would be incredibly appreciative of you doing so. Uh, I want to turn our attention to um again, a an incredible, uh, incredible system with an incredible story. I can't wait for you to hear it. Uh, my friend Kelsey Shack. Ma'am, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_00 2:19

I'm doing good. How are you?

Family Roots And Faith Through Suffering

SPEAKER_04 2:21

Doing excellent, doing excellent. Kelsey is the executive director of Reddoor Jackson, and I'm gonna allow her some time to talk to you a little bit about that. But before we dive too deeply into Red Door, uh, Kelsey, why don't you tell us just a little bit, give us the elevator version of your uh family and also your story of faith.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

Well, I'm Kelsey Shaq, and I'm so um thankful to be here. I am the wife of Rocky Shaq and also the mother of two sweet girls, Bellamy Rose and Tegan Rude Shack. And um, we've been here in Jackson for about no, a little bit over 10 years now. We are Mississippi natives. Um, Rocky is from Tipelow, Mississippi, and I am from Plantersville, Mississippi. And for those who get it, get it. Usually I'll say Tupelo, but for those who know me and know that area, I'm from Plantersville.

SPEAKER_04 3:20

Um how far outside of Tupelo is Plattersville?

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Like five minutes.

SPEAKER_04 3:24

Like it's okay, okay, okay, but it's still this whole area.

SPEAKER_00 3:28

Yeah, it's like Plantersville, Nelton, like Amory, it's like all right in that area. So people say, What is Plannersville like? Don't even worry about it, Tupelo. We just go, we're just gonna go. It's right there.

SPEAKER_03 3:39

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

Um I went to I went to Shannon High School, and then I went on to ICC and then um Ole Miss, and yeah, so here we are. Um, we are in Jackson, Mississippi, and we love it. But yeah, Mississippi natives.

SPEAKER_04 3:58

Yeah, tell tell me a little bit about your story of faith.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

So my story of faith is I grew up in a Baptist church. Um dad went to church, my mom went to church, my brother more to me like religion back then. Like I didn't have that deep relationship and understanding, and so I got baptized at a young age, and um it was really to be honest, I am 37 right now. It was really when about four and a half years ago, when my mom um went through her cancer journey, she had pancreatic cancer, and during that journey is where I truly, even though I went to church, did all the things, um, I prayed and just I didn't understand walking with the Lord. And also, but when I met my husband, that's when my journey really started growing. Um, but it was really when my mom was going through cancer, and I truly had to, I love to say, grapple with the Lord and just really sit with him. And I had to confess some things, say, Lord, I don't know you like I know, like I thought I know you or knew you. Um, I don't understand you, I don't understand this. Um to be honest, I don't know if I love you the way that you should be loved. I don't think I understand it. And the Lord whispered to me, I need you to go back to the beginning. He taught me to go to Genesis, and that's where you will find me. That's when you will understand my love, that's where you will understand what your mom is going through. That's when you will understand how they still come to me, even when they do pass away. And so during that journey, I grapple with the Lord, understanding his love and understanding his actions and how he does things. I used to be afraid, not a healthy fear, but more of a like cause and effect of the Lord. Then as I walked with him and my mom during this journey, I learned about a loving God, a merciful God, a forgiving God, a God who restores, um, a God who does see. He hears, he sees the pain, he's not absent. And during that time, even when she passed, I journaled, I journaled the whole way of just thanking God. It became of just thanking God. I never hated God when my mom had cancer. I never like pulled away. What it did was it drew me near. And that's where I truly was like, God, I thank you. I understand death, I understand what she's going through. She might not understand it or get it, and she grappled with that, but that's it was an invitation, and so God turned that into a beautiful moment because in that moment is where I develop a relationship. My whole life, and I feel like that's truly where I really got the relationship of the matter, and so ever since then, I looked through life in a different lens. I truly look at life through his lens and understanding. Um, even when my daughter was diagnosed with autism, my older one, that is something also God has used to draw me closer to him and deepen my walk with the Lord. So I always say never shy away from the trials and tribulations that come your way. And they're not God punishing you or doing things to you, or he's not absent. It's God using what the broken world and the things that we have here to draw you near. Um, and so that is truly when I really understand how to sit at his feet, to pause, um, to just wait and expect it of the Lord and develop a deeper prayer life.

What Red Door Jackson Does

SPEAKER_04 8:09

That's man, that's beautiful, Kelsey. That's beautiful and and and very, very encouraged. And I'm um, you know, even in your story, I'm reminded uh of my own story. I'll tell I tell people often that the the most significant growth that I've ever experienced as a Christian uh was in the in the season of my father suffering from glioblastoma, stage four brain cancer, and in the season of my sister suffering from multiple sclerosis, uh, because it was in those seasons that I had the chance to observe and learn and glean through the suffering of believers, because both my father and my sister were believers, but they were faithful to the end. And so I had the chance to glean uh through their example and watch and learn what it meant to suffer well and still trust that God was working things out for the good of those that love him and are called according to his purposes, according to Romans 8. But it was also there that I got a bigger, bigger perspective of the impact of the fall and the longing for the restoration of all things that God has built, that God is doing, the work that He's doing to restore all things and to reconcile all things to himself. And so, and so, yes, yes and amen to everything you have said. I I know personally that God can do an incredible amount of work, even in the even in the suffering that we experience in a fallen world. So thank you for sharing that, sister. I appreciate that. Um we're talking, it's interesting because even as we talk about hardships and the the realities of a fallen world, I think Red Door leans uh very much into that space as you as you uh you welcome children that are coming from every uh different walk of life. And some of those walks are not um what we would consider and call ideal, and yet God is doing redemptive work uh in those children and in those walks. And so why don't you um from a 30,000-foot level talk to us about Red Door and then we'll just continue to drill uh or fly down closer and closer and closer to the ground if that makes sense. So why don't you just talk to us at a high level and we'll just keep going down?

SPEAKER_00 10:29

Let's do this. Okay, so Red Door Jackson is a mentoring um program. It's a nonprofit. Um, and we mentor children K to 12th grade, so anywhere in between boys and girls, and we are a one-to-one match. That means each child has their own personal mentor that me and a team do personal matches with the family, the mentor, and then the mentee, which is the youth itself. And so we collab together to make sure that youth has the ideal mentor to do life with. We are a STEM-based program, so we do a lot of partnerships with like Amazon to do robotics and things of that nature. We even partner with the Merlin Maker Evers National Monument to bring fishing day. So we collaborate with anything in the community that will bring uh just fresh things to the youth. Um, and so that is kind of like the nutshell of what Red Door is. We meet every Tuesday night from 5:30 to 7 in the Fundering Community Center, and some of our matches have lasted four plus years. Wow. And it is a true commitment when you say you want to mentor the youth. Um, we do require a good commitment. And so that is at the nutshell of what Red Door is.

Why Mentoring Matters In Jackson

SPEAKER_04 11:56

Yeah, yeah. Talk to me a little bit as you um from I guess from the the vantage point of need, when you think about the community, collective community, what unique space or what you what what unique needs do you see Red Door plugging in and feeling for our community um at this moment of time in time?

SPEAKER_00 12:24

Yes. So when you realize it, um we all are being mentored by something or someone. And so that either is someone at church um that you are being mentored and poured into. You know, as parents, we are like a mentor to our children. What we do and how we live our lifestyle pours into them. Also, the TV can mentor you. I mean, the TV can tell you who you are, who you want to be, and all these different things. It can change your behavior. And so we're part of a grant from the Department of Justice, and so it's a whole collective of different programs all over the U.S. And we funnel in together to see how we can help keep the youth from engaging in risky behavior. And so we want to help them so they don't get into the juvenile system, that they don't make these types of decisions. And so when we realize being a mentoring program, you put a youth and you put them with a trusted adult who we go through rigorous background screenings and interviews, they are pouring life into the children. They're being something that is consistent in their lives. Um, we do have families that come from a single mother household. Um, we do have children who are in foster care. We do have children that are being raised by just different types of caretakers. Um, and we do um work with children in the whole Jackson Metro area. And so um some of the children background, they do have parents who are incarcerated. Um, so it's a lot of heavy things. They have seen a lot of things, they have encountered a lot of things, um, some things that children or like youth at that age shouldn't um see or um be exposed to. And so what Red Door is, is a beautiful space where a child can meet every week and have that one trusted adult outside of the caretaker, the foster parent, or whoever the guardian is at that moment. That person and that individual then pour into them. We are a Christian faith-based organization, and so they just pour life. They are a the mentors are able to pour into the children. The children are able to ask questions, they're able to grapple with things of this world, they're able to share something that they might not be comfortable with sharing with another adult, they're able to share that with that mentor. Then that mentor is able to come to me or anyone on our staff. It's like, hey, this is something that one the our kids are are grappling with, how do we walk this out? How do we talk this out with them? And how can we have the best resource for them? And so that is another beautiful like tool of what Red Door is. We even help the parents understand the school systems and different types of like services and needs. And we do help with homework. Um, we even have parents who have struggled, they don't know how to read. And you know, this the vulnerability of coming to us and saying that because they're struggling to help their child, we're able to provide resources for them to get them where they need to be, but also still serving the children. So we serve the children, but when you serve the family and look after the family, it pours into the child and their environment. Um, so that is the beautiful thing of like how we operate. We are a huge that pours into the children and to make sure we're touching every aspect of their lives.

Why You Can Be A Mentor

SPEAKER_04 16:20

Yeah. Kelsey, if I was to ask you, uh, I got a why question and a what question. Like if someone was on the outside listening to this podcast and saying to themselves, um, man, that sounds really interesting, but I'm not sure if I'm if I'm mentor, uh mentor material, if you will. Why, why, why me? Why what what would you say to that person basically that that gives them some understanding as to what is involved in being a mentor that allows them to answer that why me question? So that's the first question. Second question is um is the the a what question, which is, okay, maybe you convince me, Kelsey, that I that I can be one. But if I can be one, what can I expect when I show up day one? What are the unique possibilities and challenges that I might um um encounter in the work of mentoring um in a space and place like Jackson? So why question and then a what question, if that makes sense?

SPEAKER_00 18:12

Okay. The why question is a question that I asked me, asked myself too. So when I met Emily Harden was the previous director of Red Door Jackson, and uh we was at a Priscilla Shire uh conference, and um I ran into her and we had a conversation. She was like, I would love for you to come and interview to be this like coordinator. And I was like, okay. And so when I got there and we was interviewing, I got hired, and it is all the details. I was like, Emily, why why me? Like I have no background in nonprofit, I have no background working with children besides like on church, like why me? She said, Why not you, Kelsey? And I was like, I said, I don't know what I have to offer. And she was like, You you show up, be a listening ear, and just do life, be yourself, and stuck with me. And so when I interview um potential mentors, we go through this interview process, we go through two of them, and um they ask, like, hey, what can I what can I give? I'll say you can give your time, your talent, and you. Yeah, if you can show up every week for an hour and 30 minutes and just be an ear, play a game, do art, um, do some homework, it is challenging, then you can be a mentor. Is a person mentor someone who sacrifices their time to pour into someone else. It's not about always you talking, it's all about you listening. When children come from a household of multiple children and multiple things, they have no voice. No one hears them, no one sees them. And so they just need you just to be a face, to listen, to play a game, to make bracelets, um, to do some homework. And I always ask them, what is your profession? What do you do? A lot of my mentors are med students, nursing students, pharmacy students. I was like, oh my gosh, hey, you're perfect because this new homework, these kids got, I don't know what this is, and I don't know how to do this, but obviously you're good at this. Let's go with that. And it'd be like, just tell them what you do as a profession, like what that looks like if they're curious about it. And so us listening to the mentors and learning about them, what they do, and just really drill in, I'm able to pick out their gifts and their talents and then find the right child to pair with them. So that is the thing I would say. You just tell me who you are, your gifts, your talent, and give me your time. I will also have a child that is maybe looking for some of these qualities. And when I talk to the families, we match you together. So if you just show up at 5:30, we can make magic happen. I just want you to be yourself because when you kids can read you, I say kids can read you, be yourself because you are what is needed for that child. We let God do the rest. And so if we make your time, we can do a lot of things and just be consistent. And so that is why I tell people is that anybody can be a mentor, and being interviewed is how you how you factor in the need. So we don't take care of everybody, it is a privilege and an honor that you get to invest in a child's life. And so that is something as well, is that we are very intentional of who we place in the child's life. And so we are very rigorous in that. Um, it's an honor that you get to even grace their presence. Um, they are a voice, they are valued, they are seen, um, they are God's creation, and and we're gonna treat them as God's masterpiece, and you're just a little piece that goes into the mold. So that's why I tell people it's like, hey, you can be a mentor, just talk to me. And we can plug you in with the right age um that can meet each person's mutual need.

SPEAKER_02 22:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

So this is So the second question, can you kind of give me that?

What Mentors Should Expect

SPEAKER_04 22:42

Yeah, yeah. So like what in terms of what can I expect? What type of what type of what type of challenges? What type of uh what what type of hurdles, what type of opportunities, even what can I expect if I say yes? What can I expect when I step into that space of mentoring?

SPEAKER_00 23:02

Yes, you're not here to fix them.

SPEAKER_04 23:05

That's good.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

But that's the part that I'll at the at the way. You're not here to fix them. They're not broken, they're not something that needs to be put back together. And so I tell them, you can expect not to fix them. What you can expect is coming alongside them. You're not to judge them, you're not to judge the families when you see them pull up, you're not to judge what they look like when they come in, the things that you hear that they say. You are here to come alongside, come in, have a snack with them, and ask them what you want to do. Do you want to play cards? Hey, some kids they want to play basketball from 5:30 to 7. Hey, how do you how do your knees feel about doing that? So let's like that's what you can expect. It's just fun. It's just fun. Some of them come in with homework. That is fun. Just do those things. That's what you can expect is coming to an on-site location. We're not, we're on site, we're site-based, and just showing up. Um, I'm not asking you to be their therapist. I'm not asking you to see them as a problem that needs to be fixed. I need you to see them as a kid that just wants someone to listen. And I think when I tell them you're not here to fix it, all the expectations drop, the guard drops. Yes. And so that's kind of how I started off.

SPEAKER_03 24:36

The pressure drops. The pressure drops. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:41

Yes, I was like, what do you think you're gonna come in and do and just like be all these things? So no, I need you to come in, get a snack, and let's hang out. But the beauty is before we even pair them with the child, I say, once we get past the interview and we'll see how that goes, I'm going to let you shadow twice. So I'll let you shadow with different age groups with the mentor and the mentees already established. Then you can see what they do, how they roll. You get a feel for it. Then after that second shadow, you can say, Hey, you know what? I don't feel like I can do this. So let's, how can else can you help? You can volunteer and help get the night prepped up. You can help us prep for snacks, you can help us do events and things. So just because you don't feel like, just because the mentoring part didn't work out, you still can be a part of a beautiful organization because we need everybody to help this program be where it needs to be. And so I tell them that if they when they do say yes, I can do this, I will tell them what they can expect. You can expect some poverty and await when you do see some of the family. Um, you're going to see things that may not be how you grew up. Um, you may not have never experienced some of these things. Um, the children do come in um with a different tone, a different language, a more adult kind of conversation. Um, so be mindful of that and what you might hear. And also we go through extensive training. And so know that we have three hours of training that we do before you even get with the child that kind of goes over so many aspects of what you can encounter. And so note that we don't just throw you in there, we equip you before you even have access to the child that you will be mentoring. And so I tell people, you just give me your yes and we make magic happen.

Presence, Listening, And Being Seen

A Mentoring Story That Changed Everything

SPEAKER_04 26:49

Yeah. Yes, no, it it it why it 100% does. And um, you know, in hearing what you're saying, I'm reminded, uh, Kelsey, of a couple of different quotes. Number one, I'm reminded of Dr. Ralph Nichols, who was a uh late Dr. Ralph Nichols, who was a kind of father of modern communication, and and he was a professor at the University of Minnesota. One of the things that he said is that the fundamental need, uh the fundamental need that everybody has and craves is to be, is to understand and be understood. Um and and and so much of so much of understanding and being understood is about people who are willing to give you presence. Not not necessarily, not necessarily a bunch of, you know, uh, they don't they don't come with all the answers. They just come and say, hey, I'm gonna be present with you. And and and the set it's a similar quote uh that that Dr. Kirk Thompson he wrote a book called The Soul of Shame, uh, The Soul of Desire was another book he wrote. He said that everybody comes into the world looking for who's looking for them. Everybody enters the world looking for who's looking for them. And and and that again, it's just it's this craving to understand and to be understood and to have people that are willing to just simply show up and say, hey, I'm here. I'm here to understand you, I'm here to, I'm here, I'm here to listen, I'm here to observe, I'm here, I'm here to let you know that you are seen, that that you are seen, that you matter, that you're precious. And and and and and then the last quote that all of this, to be honest with you, and this is not even a quote from anybody else but me, but but it comes back to the surface. Never underestimate the vi the violence that's done to a soul left unattended. And so when we think about all the things that we're seeing in our culture, in our community, in our world, when we think about the crime, when we think about the violence, uh, when we think about the anger, the ma uh the rage, um, all these types of things, what we have to do is we we can we can almost, I won't say 100% of the time, but the majority of the time, we can trace it back to a soul that's left unseen and unattended. And so the value of mentoring is just simply being present, attending to souls, watching and letting them know that they are seen and that they are valued. And there is so much transformative work that happens, not because we had all the right answers, but because 10, 15, 20 years from now, those children will say, somebody was there and they saw me. Somebody was there and they watched me, you know, somebody was there and they attended to me. And because of that, my life was forever changed. And so thank you so so much for the work that you're doing. Let me let me let me take let me take our our conversation um in a slightly different direction as we close. And um, if you don't mind, obviously we know that that that we that we want to protect the privacy of the children, and and and and so we're not gonna look for any specific names or identities. But do you have some success stories, some good news stories, uh, one or two that you that come to mind that that you're free to share, um to kind of give everybody a glimpse of what what the Lord is doing in a place like Red Door and and yeah, feel free to share those.

Representation And A Holistic Approach

SPEAKER_00 30:02

Yes, I actually when you was um sharing, I was like, oh wow, I have a perfect story to kind of like encapsulate what you just said. So let's do mentor and mentee. I had a boy mentee. Um in the kindergarten uh first grade kind of little area. We kind of keep it in there. Um he was not um very happy. Um he was not very, as my look by word calls it, fluffy. Um heying a little bit, just wouldn't listen to me or the staff. And um he went and hid under a table. And you know, I tried to go like, you know, talk to him to get him to come out. I even I said, hey, I'm gonna call your grandmother and let's see, can she get you get you to come out? And I called the grandmother, and she was like, I can't do anything with him, and things of that nature. I tried so at this age, so kindergarten to like first or second grade, we will pair a male mentee with a female mentor if we do not have males available. And so we realized that um he was just not listening to any of the women, like any of this, this anybody. And so we did some more mesh support, we did some more digging, we talked, we we kind of like try to work through, see like, okay, God, how can we make him feel safe, um, seen, and understood, even when he's not communicating verbally to us, but he is physically verbal, um, verbally talking to us. And so I had a male mentor who um came in at the right time. Amazing. He was in med school. And so I asked a male mentor, I was like, hey, I have a mentee that will every time he comes, he goes under the table for the whole time. He will not listen to any of the women. And so I would love for you just to go, can you go sit on the floor under the table and just sit? You must do anything, just sit. And um, he did. He showed up and he just came and sat by the male minty. And then they'll just go by their way. So then when the little male mentee came back in, um he came to me and he smiled. He was like, Hey, where is my male mentor? He talked to me and I was shocked. I was like, Oh my gosh, like you actually like who I was. Um I was kind of shocked, and he was kind, he was sweet. And then the I said, he's coming. So the male mentor comes in, he runs to the male mentor, grabs him by the hand, and says, Come on, my male mentor. And they just and so after that, um the the ment he left, and so we kind of debriefed. I was debriefed after the male mentor shared with me that he lives in a house with all women, like grandmother, husband, like sister, they all women, and I found out that his dad is incarcerated. He wouldn't tell me that, but he told his male mentor, and so that's why he kind of has this um issue with women. He's kind of over it, and he is dad, he misses that male vigor, he misses like that sternness, and so the male mentor was able to be a little bit more stern, give him some um here's some expensive, here's some what's what I expect of you and your behavior when you come in. And these are the this is how we're gonna act when we walk in, and so just that male presence, and so that's the beauty is like all the male mentor did was come and sit under the table with him and just be present, you know, talk, just being that person. I see you every Tuesday at this time. I know you're here for me. We're gonna do what I want you to do, we're gonna have fun, and it ended up being where the ment he was able to share something so vulnerable and how he felt about it, and now we see why he just like I'm just gonna at his young age, but the male mentor is able to walk with him through that process, and here we are um a couple of years later. Hey, Miss Kelsey, come see and give me a big hug. And he's just nice, he's he calm, he just he's a whole different kid, and just that transformation of just like I see you, I'm gonna honor you, I'm gonna respect your boundaries. If you don't want me in your space, I get that. I'm gonna I'm gonna watch and we're gonna come together and we're gonna pray about who is the right person for you. And so having a team of praying staff members that when we do match a kid, we're looking at everything. We just don't throw a kid with someone, we are intentional by asking the Lord, who do you want this mid tea to be? Who is going to pour that into it? But also understand that our kids are predominantly African American. A lot of our men are white. And so I have seen where that has been an issue, and some of our kids, you know, may want to leave. And so I had to dig deep and understand that it's been something for years going on. So I had to be intentional about going and searching for African-American mentors, male, especially males and females, but also find them in professions, you know, their white counterparts, my mentors, my mentors, they're in nursing in all these fields. So I had to go search and find mentors who were in med school, who are a nurse, who was in pharmacy, who's going to be a dentist. So I wanted the children to see that there are people of their same color that are in these professions, and you can do it too. And now I have kids who are now like, I want to go be a dentist. I can do that. There's someone, my skin tone can do that. We even have an Asian mentor. So I want it to be multicultural because I want every child to see themselves that they can work, but also like you can do this, you can be what God called you to be. Don't let your color tell you that you can't, that your circumstances where you live at now shapes what you can be in the future. And so never dream because they can see that. Also, I am the first African-American director of Red Door Jackson.

SPEAKER_04 37:24

Right. Right.

SPEAKER_00 37:28

And I tell kids, I was like, hey, look, I look just like you. I went to college, I mean, I did all these things. I am married, I have children. Like you can help me out. It's it's not a fairy tale, it is what God has for you, and He will show you that, and we can come alongside you. Um, even a parent last night, we had our end-of-year party, and I'll wrap this up. Um, a parent said to me, because I um that Miss Kelsey, you have mentored me, and I busted out into tears last night. She was like, anytime I pick up, I call you and I'm going through something, you're right there. You're right there to pray for me, to guide me, to give me godly wisdom and discernment. And and that stood out to me that not only is the the child getting mentored, but we also are mentoring parents and caregivers and guardians as well, and showing hey, you can do this, you can get out of this lifestyle or this certain situation that you're in. Um, and so it's just a beautiful thing, full circle. The whole it's holistic all the way around.

How To Connect And Closing

SPEAKER_04 38:43

Yeah. So Kelsey, such a beautiful, oh man, such a beautiful ministry, such a beautiful work. And you are at the ground level of reconciliation, whether it's uh empowering uh young people to see that they carry the image and likeness of God, and that and that the Lord has equipped and gifted them uh with opportunities of greatness, or whether it's getting different people in places from different backgrounds, color class, and culture to intermingle with one another and see this family of God dynamic and see what's possible uh when we cross over differences and come together to accomplish one purpose with one goal. Um, you guys are ground zero for reconciliation. So salute, salute for uh for your ministry, salute uh for you accepting and embracing the calling. Uh, how can people keep up with Red Door? Where where do we find you?

SPEAKER_00 39:38

So you can keep with us on social media, so red doorjxn on Facebook and on Instagram, you can go to our website, which is reddoorjackson.com. And so almost it is it is two D's. So I just want to tell people that it is it is two D's.

SPEAKER_04 39:55

You can keep R-E-D-D-O-O-R.

SPEAKER_00 40:01

Also, we are part of Jackson Leadership Foundation, so we are a program under them. So if you are familiar with Jackson Leadership Foundation, which is downtown, um, we are affiliated with them. And so you can keep up with all the amazing, beautiful things um that we do. And also, you can just reach out to me. Um, I will love to get you connected. We have anywhere between 50 to 60 kids that come through our door. And so we are always needing um female and male uh mentors or volunteers come our way. So yeah, just contact me and I will love to get you plugged in and just share what God is doing in these sweet kids' lives.

SPEAKER_04 40:44

Amen. Amen. Kelsey, it's been a ple uh pleasure and privilege uh to have you on this episode of Living Reconciled, episode 97. And for those of y'all who are listening, feel free to keep up with us. You can do so by just searching on Living Reconciled on any podcast app, and you will typically find us Living Reconciled by Mission Mississippi or visiting our website, missionmississippi.org. Feel free to like, share, and subscribe. Uh that helps us continue to get the word out that God is doing incredible work all across the state as it relates to the work of reconciliation and bringing healing to our communities. We hear so much about the things that are happening in terms of the negative things. God is doing so much good stuff uh that we'd love to talk to you and tell you about. So please keep us uh in your podcast list and share and subscribe. Uh, we we are confident that you will be blessed if you do so. Kelsey, again, it's been a great privilege to interview you. Um, I am Brian Crawford signing off, saying God bless. Thanks for joining Living Reconciled. If you would like more information on how you can be a part of the ongoing work of helping Christians learn how to live in the reconciliation that Jesus has already secured, please visit us online at missionmississippi.org or call us at 601-353-6477. Thanks again for listening.