“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” — Isaiah 43:19
Lesson
What You Will Learn
- Mentor with humility across differences in age, background, culture, and literacy
- Describe common practical areas of re-entry: work, family reunification, and supervision conditions
- Support a mentee by pointing her to official sources, case managers, and supervising officers rather than advising on legal matters
- Draft a six-meeting mentoring plan for a composite mentee
Lesson Notes
One in Christ, Different in Life
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Naomi and Ruth crossed lines of people, age, and background. Paul said, I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some (1 Corinthians 9:22).
Your mentee may differ from you in age, culture, church background, education, reading level, or life story. Mentoring across differences takes humility:
- Ask, don't assume. Tell me about your family. What has church been like for you?
- Respect her culture and her choices. The gospel does not require her to become like you.
- Age: Paul told Timothy to treat the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity (1 Timothy 5:2).
Mentoring and Literacy
Some women read easily; some do not, and many have been shamed for it. A good mentor never makes reading a test.
- Read Scripture aloud together and use short passages and plain words.
- Celebrate every bit of progress, and point her to adult education or literacy programs if she wants them: ____________________.
Never assume that a woman who reads slowly understands slowly.
The Practical Side of Re-entry
A mentor can Be With a woman through re-entry and Build Up her confidence, but she does not replace the official people. Common areas:
- Work: applications, interviews, transportation, keeping a job. A mentor can practice interviews, encourage, and help her plan bus routes. Job programs and workforce centers can do more: ____________________.
- Family reunification: reconnecting with children and relatives. A mentor listens, prays, and encourages patience. Custody, visitation, and child welfare questions go to her caseworker, the court, or legal aid.
- Supervision conditions: rules set by the court or parole or probation. A mentor encourages her to keep every condition and to ask her supervising officer about anything she is unsure of. A mentor never interprets conditions or tells her what she can get away with.
- Services: ID, housing, benefits, treatment. These go through her case manager or re-entry program.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers (Romans 13:1). Helping her honor her conditions is part of loving her well.
Pointing to Official Sources
When legal or official questions come up, a mentor's job is to point, not to answer. A helpful pattern:
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Listen: That sounds stressful. Tell me more.
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Name the right source: That's a question for your officer (or case manager, attorney, caseworker).
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Help her prepare: write down her questions together.
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Offer support: Would you like me to pray with you before you call? Do you want to tell me how it went next time?
Supervision and contact: if either the mentor or the mentee is on supervision, both must follow their conditions. Some conditions forbid contact with certain people, places, or people with records. Check with the supervising officer before meeting, and never help anyone get around a no-contact order.
Key Terms
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Cultural humility | Approaching another woman's life with curiosity and respect, asking rather than assuming |
| Family reunification | Reconnecting with children and family after incarceration, often through official processes |
| Supervision conditions | Rules set by a court or parole or probation authority that a person under supervision must follow |
| Official sources | Supervising officers, case managers, attorneys, legal aid, caseworkers, and courts, who answer legal and service questions |
In-Class Activities
Assume or Ask?
Read ten invented statements a mentor might make (for example, You probably don't have a church background; What has church been like for you?). Mark each A (assumes) or Q (asks humbly). Rewrite each A as a respectful question.
Point, Don't Answer
Read eight invented re-entry questions a mentee might ask (for example, Can I visit my kids at my mom's house?; Is it okay if I go to a cousin's party out of state?; Can you help me practice for my interview?). For each, write who the right source is and one supportive sentence a mentor could say.
Assignment: Final Project Draft: Six-Meeting Mentoring Plan
Draft Part Two of your final project (see the Final Project section). Using the composite mentee Keisha (described in the Final Project section), plan six meetings. For each meeting, write:
- A goal or theme.
- One KJV passage.
- Two open questions.
- One practical focus (for example, interview practice, a weekly calendar, preparing questions for her officer).
- One small next step she might choose.
- Which part of The Timothy Pattern it emphasizes (Be With, Build Up, or Send Out).
Add one note on how you will respect a difference between you and Keisha, and one place in the plan where you will point her to an official source.
Graded with the Module Assignment Rubric.
Reflection Journal
Isaiah 43:19 says God will make a way in the wilderness. Where have you seen God make a way where there seemed to be none? What difference between you and another woman would take the most humility for you to mentor across?
Prayer focus: Ask God to give you a humble, curious heart toward women whose lives differ from yours, and to make a way in the wilderness for every woman coming home.
Weekly Reading & Devotions
A Way in the Wilderness
Your mentee may be older or younger, from a different culture or church background, or a different reader than you. Galatians says we are all one in Christ Jesus. Unity does not mean sameness. Ask instead of assuming, listen to learn, and let her teach you who she is.
If reading is hard for her, never make it a test. Read Scripture aloud together, use short passages, and celebrate progress. A woman who reads slowly does not understand slowly.
Re-entry brings many demands at once: work, family, supervision, housing, and services. A mentor can practice interviews, plan bus routes, pray before hard calls, and celebrate small wins. But custody, conditions, and legal questions go to official sources: her supervising officer, case manager, caseworker, attorney, or legal aid.
When she asks a legal or official question, point rather than answer: listen, name the right source, help her write down her questions, and offer support. If either of you is on supervision, check with the supervising officer before meeting. God makes a way in the wilderness, often through faithful people and proper channels working together.
Think About It
- What difference would take the most humility for you to mentor across? ______________________
- Why is it important not to interpret someone's conditions for her? ______________________
- Where have you seen God make a way where there seemed to be none? ______________________
Daily Devotions for Week 7
A New Thing
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.— Isaiah 43:19 (KJV)
God makes new paths in dry places.
Reflect: What new thing do you hope God is doing?
Pray: Lord, make a way where I see none.
Do: Name one sign of new life in your situation.
All One
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.— Galatians 3:28 (KJV)
In Christ our differences do not divide us.
Reflect: Who is different from you that God wants you to love?
Pray: Lord, give me a humble, curious heart.
Do: Ask someone from a different background about her life.
Mothers and Sisters
The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.— 1 Timothy 5:2 (KJV)
Treat older women with honor and younger women with sisterly care.
Reflect: How can you honor an older woman this week?
Pray: Lord, teach me respect and purity.
Do: Show respect to someone older than you.
Higher Powers
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.— Romans 13:1 (KJV)
Honoring rules and conditions is part of following Jesus.
Reflect: What rule is hardest for you to honor right now?
Pray: Lord, help me walk in integrity.
Do: Keep one rule fully today, even when no one is watching.
Set in Families
God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains:— Psalm 68:6 (KJV)
God brings people out and plants them in community.
Reflect: Where is God planting you in a family of faith?
Pray: Lord, set me and others in healthy families.
Do: Pray for a woman coming home soon.
Module Quiz
- 1.
Galatians 3:28 teaches that believers are:
- 2.
A mentee asks whether she may travel out of state. The mentor should:
- 3.
Which is the best way to support a mentee who reads slowly?
- 4.
If both mentor and mentee are on supervision, they should check with the supervising officer before meeting.
- 5.
Name the four steps of pointing a mentee to an official source.