Bella And Kim – Mentorship
Kimberly Vaughn and Bella Kauffman’s story is a beautiful example of how God knows what we need before we do.
Bella was serving as youth pastor for Kimberly’s two young teens. Having firmly caught the vision for mentoring through Joy El’s Barnabas program Kimberly was sensing the Lord telling her to mentor Bella. Bella had not asked, but the Lord was actually laying on her heart that she would benefit from a mentor. So, when Kimberly asked Bella to prayerfully consider meeting for mentoring, Bella agreed. Soon, the two were meeting through The Connection’s mentoring program.
The Lord had also laid on Kimberly’s heart to take a different approach to Bella than she typically does within mentoring relationships. “He was really kind and gentle in how He wanted me to invest in her,” Kimberly shared. “My instinct is to give advice and guidance. With Bella, He just wanted me to love on her and convey His kindness.”
Neither Bella nor Kimberly knew that Bella was on the cusp of the trial of her life. She soon found herself in a season of incredible hardship.
“Bella really needed a safe space, which God prepared in advance for her by directing us together,” Kimberly explained. “While we were always very careful to not gossip, I was able to provide her with truth, encouragement, love and support when she needed it.”
Bella received other benefits during their six-month season of formal mentoring. “It was so good to have accountability in staying consistent in God’s Word,” she stated. “I was thankful to have someone who would pray with me and be a safe space to discuss life and faith.”
The overflow of Kimberly and Bella’s relationship happened quickly. When they were done with their formal mentoring, the two co-led an eight-week Bible study on anxiety through The Connection. Not only did they impact other women through that study, but Bella actually mentored Kimberly’s daughter, Olivia, through the time of the study.
“During those eight weeks, I would meet with Olivia for 45 minutes to an hour every week before the Bible study,” Bella explained. “Olivia did the teen version of the study along with us, so during our meeting time every week we would go over what we had learned, pray together, and sometimes do an activity that tied in with what we were learning. And we’d usually all eat dinner together too.”
Further evidence of God’s providence and goodness is that all three women have struggled with anxiety and are at different spots in their journey, so Kimberly helped Bella, who then helped Olivia.
“I have been learning recently about God as our ‘Jehovah Jireh—the Lord our Provider,’” said Bella. “For me, God provided for the needs I didn’t even know I had by sending Kim to be my mentor at a time when life felt dark. Through her investment in my life, I was able to see more of how much God loved and cared about me and wanted to meet my needs.” The Faces of Spiritual Multiplication is a 7-part series, to inspire others into the role of mentorship.
