Jaz and the Brand New Ending

I was so proud of Jaz today-- one of the kids I had previously. She focused really hard on cooperative reading with Deja and Erica today. She’s been sitting with them and she has been succeeding. I don’t know how long this will last, but I feel like she entered into this school year with a more positive attitude after being kept back from last year. On the first day, I put up the quote, “One cannot go back and make a brand new beginning; but one can start from this point and make a brand new ending.” Jaz responded in writing, saying she felt like she was reaping the consequences of skipping class and slacking off last year. She told me the story of her father never being home and how her mother is still in China. I was so sad reading that paper. It's amazing how you can know a kid for a whole year and never hear that stuff. The whole time, you think of her as a class-cutter, and you forget to ask what's going on beneath it all. She resolved, at the end of the written response, to do better this year, to make a "brand new ending" for herself. Perhaps I, too, can resolve to do a better job of helping her this year.

So far, the school year is going well. I can see how much experience helps, now that I'm in my third year at JQUS. I miss those 9th graders whom I had as 7th graders, but I'm also glad to put those first 2 years behind me. I'll write more about my different and interesting roles some other time, one of those roles being a cooking instructor! For now, I'm thankful to be feeling challenged and motivated to improve. For a while I've been wondering if I'm really cut out for this. I'm still not sure, but right now, I feel at least competent and that I am helping these kids more than harming them.

Kids getting Younger and Younger

It seems every year, kids get younger and younger. This past Friday, in youth group, the change was almost shocking. I knew that we would have a much younger group of middle-schoolers, especially with the addition of 6th graders this year; but as I looked out at the crowd of little kids, I wondered, how do you teach and counsel kids this age? Will they sit and listen to a sermon? What can we talk about in our small group time? How do you bond with them?

As my 9th graders moved onto 10th grade and out of the realm of my specific Friday night ministry, I realized that I had the same questions at the beginning of last year about them. I wasn't sure if anything was happening, until pretty recently, when we started having sleepovers and more outside hangout time. They have recently evolved into a group that cares more for one another and prays for each other, sometimes. It's sad to see them go, yet they serve as a reminder to me of how these groups grow and change. Praise God for the work He has done in them!

I wonder, sometimes, if my abilities are best suited for this age group. I started off as a counselor for older teens, and in many ways, it is where I still feel most comfortable. Still, for the time being, the Lord has put me here, and I'll joyfully wait and see what He has in store-- the divine appointments, the relationships, and personal growth. Definitely, I'll be stretched in patience, in learning to care for younger kids, and in learning how to teach them. It looks like I've got 6 talks scheduled in the fall and winter, covering the book of acts.

Meanwhile, I'm really excited that God is bringing lots of new visitors and potential counselors. He's answering prayers for more youth workers, which we prayed for 6 months ago!

Back from Maine Retreat

The retreat in Maine was interesting for many reasons. On the first night, we were sitting around the campfire, when all of a sudden, one of the men emerges from the darkness, very excited. I look and in his hands, he is holding a huge FROG! So I admired it, like everyone else, and then waited to see when he would let it go. He didn't. Instead, he took a butcher's knife and tried to cut it's head off! "We can make soup," he said. Fortunately, he missed and the frog jumped out of the way. So everyone else decided to keep the frog alive until they were hungry!??!

Speaking was new and challenging. I gave a set of talks on "Changes that Heal," which was the theme they had chosen. I know there's a book by that title, which I didn't read, but I chose to divide up the talks into these "changes":

1) Experiencing God's Grace through Others-- becoming vulnerable
2) Meeting Jesus in Suffering-- changing our understanding of pain
3) Trusting the God who Sees-- returning to our broken relationships
4) Everything is Rubbish (but You)-- fixing our eyes on Jesus, our joy

I got to pray for a few guys who connected to the messages. It was nice to be with the Vietnamese Church again, at least for a little while. I'm still praying for you guys.

Those of you who prayed for me, thanks. I felt prayed for!

Heading up to Maine (Please Pray)

Over the past week, I've been re-focusing on teaching, especially these past few days, when I've spent a lot of time in my classroom. Three of my former students showed up to help move furniture-- the same guys who helped me move into my current apartment. I'm glad to be able have an ongoing relationship with them, even though I haven't been their teacher for 2 years. It reminds me that God often uses you to make an eternal impact in someone's life, even if it isn't so apparent immediately.

There's so much to look forward to this year. We're starting up TWR (the junior high youth group) again soon, I've got guitar classes that will also begin in a few weeks, and, of course, there's the new students I'm going to meet. I'm excited and a little anxious at the same time.

More immediately, I'm about to head up to Maine for a weekend retreat with the VAC young adults. I've been invited to speak. I've got my outlines for the talks, but I'll need the car-ride to solidify everything. Please PRAY for me! I've never spoken at retreat before. Pray that God would use me to deliver his Word and that the Holy Spirit would convict and change hearts. I very much need and covet your prayer support this weekend. Thanks!