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=Introduction=

//“How far-reaching are our acts? Who can say? Perhaps we affect the paths of the stars. But this at least is certain, that who we are changes the life around us. If we choose to be loving, involved, withdrawn, cold, critical, judgmental—we shape the world in some way. Life is, at once, gift and responsibility. Everything matters everywhere”// -Paula D’Arcy

In Philip Yancey’s book, //Soul Survivor,// he lists thirteen people he says “became shapers of my faith” (10). These individuals come from a wide range of backgrounds, followed very different walks of life, personal struggles, and came from different eras of history. Yancey said, however in that this list of seemingly random people all have one thing in common in his life, “their impact” (10). They are his mentors.

//Soul Survivor// causes a person to take a moment to question, “who has been influential in my life?,” “who mentors me?”. Answering that question may lead to a list of people, like Yancey, that vary greatly, but all have one thing in common, their impact. Thinking on the impact those people have may cause the question,“who do I mentor?” to arise.

The answer to those questions “Who do I mentor and who mentors me” is two fold. First, it has to be realized that, in a way, everyone acts an informal mentor to everyone else. One may not like to think about it, but the reality is people are always watching the way one lives one’s life. Sometimes one may be aware, but other times, one may never be known. Second, one chooses to have a closer, more formal mentoring relationship with certain people her or she encounters because of the impact that group makes in his or her lives. That smaller set of formal mentors helps guide that person throughout different stages of their life where they need some extra wisdom.