Student shares stories of victory and hope with urban community
- Sep 12, 2007 - 2
Two days into his long-awaited summer internship, Dan Coe was ready to go home.
“I thought, I don’t belong here,” Coe said. “I was surrounded by such a strong group of believers. I thought, Lord, why did you pick me? Here I am, and I’m not even two years removed from drug addiction.
“I felt inadequate. I had to come to grips with my own fears, doubts and insecurities. The enemy was putting all these lies in my mind. … I was stretched, and as I was, the Lord poured down blessings.”
In early June 2007, Coe began his eight-week internship with Urban Promise in Wilmington, Delaware. Urban Promise is a ministry reaching the children and youth in the cities of Wilmington; Camden, N.J.; Toronto; and Vancouver for the purpose of raising up the next generation of urban Christian leadership. The ministry reaches communities through efforts such as summer camps, schools, after-school programs, intern programs and Street Leader job training programs.
Coe’s work in Wilmington was two-fold. He led recreation with school-age children each week, taking the time to share the Gospel with each age group. In addition, Coe worked with 23 neighborhood teenagers called Street Team leaders. Many were not believers, and Coe and the other interns sought to share the Gospel with them, as well.
Coe had begun searching for a place of service after reading Charles Sheldon’s In His Steps and sensing a call on his life to do more to “carry His cross.” At the time, Coe was going to school part-time and working part-time. About two years prior, Coe surrendered his life to the Lord after living “the prodigal life” for almost 10 years.
One night while watching a rare bit of television, Coe’s attention was grabbed by a 20/20 program on poverty in America. Urban Promise was recognized as an organization making a difference. After admitting to the Lord that his previous plans of a mission trip to Russia were wrongly motivated, Coe thought the compelling feature might be an answer to prayer.
“I knew that a lot of the kids would be affected by the drug culture, whether they were children of alcoholics or drug addicts or the teenagers themselves were mixed up in that,” Coe said. “The Lord has set me free from that. I have a tremendous burden on my heart for those who are affected, for both the abusers and the families of abusers. I feel that the Lord allowed me to go through that so that I have the capacity to reach others.”
Coe applied to serve as a summer intern in the Wilmington program and was accepted. During his time there, his past gave him opportunities that some of the other interns did not have.
“The kids can see right through you if you are fake,” Coe said. “I haven’t grown up impoverished, but I’ve been bound by some of the things that are binding that community.
“The kids feel they have to carry the tough image, and for so long, I felt I had to have a tough image. You have to on the street. I just wanted to show them the love of God and the grace of God.”
Brandon, one of the teenagers assigned to work with Coe, was a particular challenge. He had worked at Urban Promise for a number of years but kept getting in trouble with the leaders. Coe said he felt unequipped to handle the situation.
Coe saw much of himself in Brandon and recognized that he was at the same crossroads Coe once was. “He would say he sees the Light from afar, but every time he turns toward that Light, he gets pulled back by the darkness.”
Coe was convicted about his attitude toward Brandon. “When I was ready to throw in the towel with him, I thought, what if people had given up hope on me?” he said. “Time and time again, I know people had wanted to write me off as a lost cause.”
Through an unexpected conversation, Coe was able to share the Gospel with Brandon, and he accepted Christ during his time in Wilmington.
“The Word came alive in a way I could touch,” Coe said. “It was amazing.”
Further Learning
Learn more about: Faith, Ministry, Family, Children, Citizenship, Community Service, Hunger/Homelessness
2 comments (post your own) feed
1 On Sep 17th, 2007, at 9:48am, Josh Fortenberry wrote:
Praise God for Dan following God’s call. Praise God for Brandon’s salvation.
Praise God!
2 On Oct 9th, 2007, at 7:54pm, Susie Stephens wrote:
You know, God was calling Dan when he was in high school, but He didn’t raise His voice louder than the distractions in Dan’s life. I praise God that He protected Dan through his time of wanderings, and I praise Him for a plan that brought Dan back under the shelter of His wings. This is only the beginning! I can’t wait to see where this young man winds up! I love you, Dan!