Not just mentorship … friendship

Sarah and Seth Martens are active members of St. Pierre Bible Fellowship in St. Pierre-Jolys, Manitoba. They participated in Entrust’s ministry training module Facilitating Relational Learning in Manitoba in November 2020. Entrust’s Mo Blackmon served as lead facilitator of that module, mentoring participants along the way.

Mentoring, or shepherding, is a key aspect of our Entrust training modules. Mo is an exceptional mentor. We asked Sarah to describe her experience of FRL and Mo’s involvement with her in that process.

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I am a worship leader in our church, where I lead, both musically and spiritually, our ministry outreach band, Passion Project. I also regularly lead a worship band in our church services. I have helped run our mom’s group, and I have mentored many moms and young adults both in their personal lives and in becoming worship leaders. I took the Entrust leadership training [FRL] and I now help lead ladies’ Bible studies as well, in our church and community.

I took FRL because I love mentorship and teaching others to grow and develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. Our church leadership suggested my husband and I take the course and I am glad we did.

Mo invested in me by coming and sitting with me and answering any questions I had [as I did the required pre-study for the module]. She took mental note of how I learn best and worked hard at meeting those needs. I am very relational and I need face-to-fact interactions, even in a pandemic. Mo found a safe way for us to be able to do that. Mo checked in with me daily during the course and she continues to check in with me now.

Mo is always willing to prayerfully listen to what is really going on in my life, and to offer godly advice. Something that sets Mo apart from anyone else is her willingness to be honest and real with her own life. This means more to me than anyone will ever know. It’s not just a mentorship, it’s a friendship.

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We asked Sarah if she had a story of a specific way in which Mo has mentored her.

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Let me count the ways! One specific thing that sticks out to me is something I was dealing with that was breaking my heart. I was losing sleep over it, and it was just eating me spiritually, emotionally and even physically. Not only did Mo listen intently, but she offered empathy and validation to what I was feeling. She presented questions that encouraged growth in not only my situation but in my relationship with Jesus.