Are you a baseball fan?  If you are, then you will understand the terms “hitting for the cycle” and “pitching a perfect game.” That is exactly what happened at the Tacoma Rescue Mission (TRM) recently.

We had started the TRM City Life Teen Roundtable, a weekly meeting described as “Life Skills with Biblical Principles,” kicking off with the theme “Who Am I?” Teens at the Roundtable range from 7th to 10th grade and we recently had three new kids attend! Some parents come along as another form of bonding time with their son or daughter. The other day we had pizza for a snack, played balloon games, and centered the teaching around a personal self-care assessment tool. But what made the night extra special was the first-time attendance of one young person. 

When I joined YFC in June of 2019 and started working the Summer Program at TRM, Sam* instantly did not like me. She said straight to my face she did not like me because I was old. Through the rest of the summer, Sam attended the program sporadically and would not interact with me at all. For the last year, while COVID limited the Youth Program, there was less interaction between the TRM Teen Program and the campus where Sam lives.

That night was my first interaction with Sam since the Summer of 2019. She grabbed a slice of pizza, signed in, and picked a seat next to mine. Sam was NOT the same individual that I met two years ago. It was exciting to hear Sam share answers to the discussion questions and see her interactions with the group.

I spoke with Sam’s mom the next morning and was told Sam thoroughly enjoyed the time at the Teen Roundtable and even made mention of wanting to participate in the upcoming summer activities. Sam’s mother said the time at school and at the Star Center during the day had been rough. Sam arrived grumpy at home just a few minutes before the Teen Roundtable was scheduled to start. Sam went straight to her room in a depressed mood and then all of a sudden decided to attend the Wednesday night group without any prodding from Mom and Dad.

Her parents were super glad when Sam returned home after the group event. She was happy, excitedly sharing about how it went. Her mom said Sam was looking forward to next week’s group but that her mood changes frequently on the spur of the moment. 

But for that night, the results were a “perfect game pitched” along with “hitting for the cycle!” We are hopeful for the same results going forward.  

Update: Sam came back to the Roundtable this week, was the first to answer every question, and even prayed to close out our time! She said it was her first time praying ever. 

*Teen name and image have been changed.