Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/278977
O WALKING THROUGH LIFE TOGETHER Kallie Garrett and her mentor, Candice Craig, share about the importance of mentoring. KALLIE GARRETT IS WORKING TOWARDS AN MA IN CHRISTIAN FORMATION AND SOUL CARE. SHE CURRENTLY SERVES AS A LEADER WITH K-LIFE FOR SEVENTH GRADE GIRLS AND IS LOOKING FORWARD TO FUTURE MINISTRY IN MENTORING AND DISCIPLESHIP. ON MENTORING Kallie: When I moved here I didn't know many people. A friend of mine asked her mentor to email a few people who might be interested in mentoring me. Candice received that email shortly after she moved close to Denver Seminary and decided she wanted to mentor a seminary student. We've been meeting ever since. Even though I have completed my three required semesters of the training and mentoring program, we will continue to meet because we share the belief that mentoring relationships are crucial no matter what stage of life we find ourselves in. Candice: One of the reasons I started mentoring to begin with is that I was the teenage girl who was asking: Where are all the older women who are stepping out to mentor me and others my age? Then, I came to this age where I realized: I am the older woman! So now, I am a mentor. ABOUT THIS MENTORING RELATIONSHIP Candice: In this season of Kallie's life, there hasn't been anything earth shattering, there has not been really heavy or hard stuff going on. When things come up, however, it's been good to watch how Kallie handles it with maturity and grace. Our experience has been simply walking through life together. Kallie: Mentoring relationships can look different, depending on your season of life or the situation. Candice and I have had this very steady growth during this season. The consistency I've experienced in this relationship throughout my whole seminary experience has been really good. She has been there to encourage me and keep me motivated. It's been significant to have someone who is in my corner; she's an advocate for me even when I'm getting down on myself. WHAT COMES OUT OF MENTORING Kallie: When I did my first semester of training and mentoring I rewrote my character contract midway through the semester because I realized I didn't understand what it meant to be loved by God. I wasn't sure I believed that He loved or cared about me personally. That's been huge for me: to think through that and ask that of Him. I really began to ask and understand: Who am I as a child of God? And now, I'm starting to write my thesis on that very topic. Candice: Many of the things she is learning, and many of the things God is showing, speak to me and where I am at in life too. It's been good to be open to that, open to that give-and-take that comes in a relationship, and to learn from what she's learning. OTHER BENEFITS OF THE RELATIONSHIP Kallie: I like having someone on the outside of seminary life—someone to remind me of real life. I feel like that has kept me sane. Candice: Kallie is just easy to be with and she has an impact wherever she goes. Maybe she doesn't realize it but she does. Plus, she's fun, and we can share a burger at Red Robin because we like to eat the same things! ENGAGE 15 MEET MY MENTOR If you are a current student or mentor and want to share your story, please email magazine@denverseminary.edu