Wes

Last Spring I was approached by a local high school about having a student "job shadow" me. Now... this isn't uncommon. Most of the students in my minsitry like to job shadow me for a day because I let them play on the internet, take them out to lunch, etc.
This "job shadow" was different though, it wasn't for a day, it was for a semester. I agreed, looking forward to interacting with a student who was truly interested in going into ministry as a vocation as well as a calling.
Wes arrived this fall. He came to my office an hour early. I wasn't even there, I was still at home in bed. I told our receptionist to send him home and I would contact him later. After we got our schedule's on the same page through a phone conversation, Wes came to my office. This was our first dialogue:
"Wes, why do you want to be in ministry?"
"I don't."
"Then why are you here?"
"Let's just say I am interested in the theology of it all."
"Okay, then..."
And our relationship has gone from there. Wes LOVES philosophy. Any time we debate about philosophy, it is a good day for him. Somwhere though, Wes has been burned by church/religion and is trying to find his fit. Wes has limited social skills (he thinks common courtesy is a waste of time) and we are working on it a little. He is in my office every morning and we do a variety of things. Sometimes I work and he sits there, but usually I give him something to read.
We have recently been talking about his family. His quote to me was "I have no sense of family." Wow. Wes has had a hard time with relatioships in his life. He feels he has no friends other than his mom. He sees little use for relationships other than as a means to the end, but has trouble knowing what that end might be, so has little or no relationships.
All in all, Wes has become a good friend for me. I love having him around. I challenge everything he thinks. I ask pointed questions and force him to interact with others. I am watching his life change as he feels some purpose, at least that is what I think. I am interested to see where our relationship is in two months.