Days like today are why I do what I do…

 What a great day.  Today I spent almost all day with youth.  I love days like today.  We were very productive but we also had a really great time hanging out.  I miss days when I don’t get to hang with my youth.  From the start of my day until about an hour ago I was with some of my youth.

I took a job working for the YMCA after college.  It is important to remember that I got my degree in Environmental Science Natural Resource Management.  I should of gotten some sort of education degree.  I figured out pretty quickly at the YMCA that not only did I have a God given ability to work with youth but that I had a passion for it as well.  Once I realized how much of a passion I had for it, I was called into ministry and I have looked back.

Which working at the church I have had some wonderful, powerful experiences with the youth.  They help me to grow spiritually every day.  It is amazing what they bring to the table and how passionate they are about their walk with Christ.  I see it every day in them and it keeps me working harder to fulfill that want and need to for them to feel Christ’s love.

Although that is truly what ministry is all about.  Today was one of those days that was just fun.  I have wonderful kids.  I don’t think they know how much they mean to me, but days like today always remind me that they mean the world to me.

Three of my youth came to the church today help me film a promo for our kickoff.  We had so much fun working on it.  It took us hours to shoot the scenes we needed because we were laughing so much.  I think I have an hour worth of bloopers on film.   They did a great job between the laughing and cutting up.  After we were done filming, we headed over to Beach Music at North Hills.  While some of the youth were walking around, another youth, who I haven’t talked to in awhile, came over and hung out with me.  It was so much fun to catch up with her and talk to her.

After the music was over, I had to take a youth home to Clayton which is about an hour drive there and back.  Two youth volunteered to ride with me.  It was so much fun riding there and back.  We had a great time laughing and talking all the way. 

We all work so hard at our jobs.  Sometimes I even get lost in everything that I need to do, and I don’t get to just hang with my kids.  Today and tonight were perfect.  Just hanging out and being with them makes me smile.  My job can be stressful and sometimes it is easy to not have patients, but when I get to build relationships with my kids that is when I really feel ministry happening.  That is when I know that my kids are there because they want to be and not because they have to be.  That is when I truly feel God at work.  Thank you God for giving me my kids!

Thank you, Danielle, Justin, Ian, Sarah, and Jana for hanging with me today.  All my love to you!