“The fathers in my family have all been amazing, tracing back generationally. As a father of four sons and one daughter, I have been blessed to keep that legacy alive. When I heard about Fathers in the Field, I knew that God had blessed me with an amazing dad so that I could intentionally invest in a fatherless boy and share that blessing with him.”
Over the past eight years, Matt Wilson has blessed three fatherless boys by stepping into their lives as a Mentor Father. As a public school teacher, he sees the daily struggles fatherless boys face; one of the major struggles is not seeing their true worth and value. Matt says it best:
“Young men need to know that their lives have meaning and purpose. This is a gift given from a father to a son. This is one of the reasons why Fathers in the Field is so important. It equips a man to demonstrate to a boy that he matters.”
A young man learns that his life has meaning. He experiences this from the intentional investment of a godly man and learns about his value to a Heavenly Father.
As a ministry, we provide a Journey Guide for each year of intentional mentoring. The first year discusses the worth each of us has because our Heavenly Father created us and loves us deeply. The second year covers the Ten Commandments and God’s rules for living.
During these first two years, a Mentor Father and Field Buddy learn and serve together, and a deep bond grows.
This is to prepare them for the third year, which helps the Field Buddy understand the importance of forgiveness and that one day write a letter of forgiveness to his earthly father.
Matt and his Field Buddy David are finishing their second year and preparing to begin a deeper discussion about forgiveness.
“David is a quiet kid, so our conversations require work. When he does share, he is very thoughtful, and he has a kind heart.
“His favorite parts of meeting together are the monthly service projects for widows. We have talked about his dad, but he has only met him once and has no real concept of what a dad is supposed to be.
“I know there is a wound there, but I’m unsure if David has considered it. I’m looking forward to the conversations that the third-year Journey Guide will foster.”
I share Matt’s excitement as he and David continue to move towards healing. Being a Mentor Father takes a sacrifice of time; it’s challenging, but it’s a good challenge.
Here are some ways you can help.
- Pray for all our Mentor Father and Field Buddy pairings.
- Help your church reach the fatherless by connecting them to Fathers in the Field.
- Stand with the fatherless by becoming a Mentor Father or Church Champion.
- Connect us to the people in your sphere of influence.
Jesus is Lord,
Standing in the Gap,
John Smithbaker
Founding Servant
p: 1-844-472-4241 e: info@fathersinthefield.com
