For the past nine months or so I have been working with a youth group at a smaller church in Birmingham. I was really excited when I saw that I had the opportunity to do this, because ever since I spent a summer in Kansas doing summer missions, I have always really loved working with teenagers. I started off just going to their youth services on Sundays and Wednesdays and forming relationships with the youth. A few months after that we started having small groups and I led the girl's small group. In April the youth minister felt led to leave the church and I ended up starting to teach on Wednesday nights. I don't know what it was, or if it is even explainable, but I really feel like this change really affected my relationship with the youth, especially some of my small group girls.
Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't just their friend anymore, but was also now their youth class teacher. It probably also had something to do with the fact that I'm definitely not a teacher, and that I was feeling from the beginning that this was more then God wanted me to be doing there. But I did see during the past few months that what I love about youth ministry so much is just the relationships that I get to form with the youth. I know it might be kind of crazy but these teeenagers at Irondale and the teenagers that I worked with in Kansas, really are my friends, and I really hope that they see me as a trustworthy friend.
After seeing all this and also falling out of a college ministry, I saw that God was telling me that it was time to leave irondale, and to get back community and growth in a ministry. So, Wednesday was my last night, and it was sad that I won't be seeing them every Wednesday, but I have complete peace that it's what I'm supposed to do. Another cool thing is that one of my small group girls has been texting me like every day. She definitely didn't do this before, and maybe she is now just because she knows that she won't see me as much. But it is really cool to get a chance to talk to her throughout the day and see what she's up to. I'm really going to miss working with a youth ministry, but I am really excited to still have relationships with the youth, and hope that I will be good about keeping in touch!!
Rebecca, me, and Lisa
Alex, Bradley, Colin, Ben, Andrew, Lisa, Ana, Rebecca, Sarah, me, and Pam
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