The tears have begun to flow.
Our final night at youth group was last night, and I cried, which is no big surprise, if you know me well. But I’m really glad I cried. Let me explain.
We got into the whole youth group thing this year because we felt God calling us to a new ministry here in San Luis Obispo, and we saw a need in the youth group. We love our church here and we wanted to serve it and it’s kids.
It was a journey. The first night we started there were no girls, we met in a big ware-housey kind of room with maybe 5 freshman boys and pretty much sat in a circle sharing broken bone and scar stories. It was the youth pastor and his then girlfriend, and one other friend, and us leading the group. We were all pretty new- to the group, to each other, and to the kids.
I think there were many times throughout the year that Matt and I questioned if it even mattered that we were there. It was easy to feel unimportant, a little lost, and confused as to how to actually reach these kids and impact them with Christ’s love. If I’m honest, too, there were weeks it was hard to want to go spend three hours with high school kids. There were many moments of frustration as we reminded students over and over to stop talking, put away their phones, stop playing footsey, chatting, and distracting each other (I apologize to every teacher, coach, and youth leader I ever had in high school). Ours maybe isn’t the “cool” youth group in town. We don’t have many kids, until recently we had no music, we had no organized games for most of the year, we don’t use powerpoints or projectors, we don’t have tons of equipment, and haven’t been known for the most awesome events. But we had a youth group, nonetheless, and kids come, and throughout the year more and more kids came. And I think in spite of our relative lack of coolness, it’s because the gospel was preached and they could be themselves.
Week in and week out, we all showed up. Showing up is important. We don’t really know what God will do when we show up, but if we are faithful to do just that much, God will do something, because He’s God and all we really have the power to do anyway is show up. There were good nights and bad nights. Organized and disorganized, both frustrating and fun.
When we left last night- we left a group of about 20 students, 6 leaders, plus our youth pastor and that same girlfriend that is now his wife. We came to love those people and to love serving our high school students with them. It was organized. We played a game together, like we do every week now. The students were listening (this could have been because us leaders did a skit in the beginning of the night mocking and impersonating them by whispering to each other, having headphones in, and being on our cell phones…you see what we’re up against each week). Matt gave the message and it was rich and full with the gospel. We broke into groups after and we had students sharing and opening up about what God is requiring of them to walk more closely with Himself. We had worship music, and the kids were singing and worshipping. And so I started crying.
That’s just what I do when it comes to leaving, and changing, and transitioning. I cry. And it’s not pretty. Because I’m going to miss these people and miss what we have become used to. But also, and probably more importantly, I cried because we have seen God work in a mighty way in our youth group this year. And when by His grace we get to be a part of Him moving and working, it’s amazing, and humbling, and sobering.
Here are just a few things that we got to be a part of and that I can testify to the fact that God is alive and well here in San Luis Obispo, in that little room on South Higuera with about twenty high school kids:
+ ‘D’ (don’t want to use their actual names…) came to our second youth group of the year, a bonfire at Avila Beach. We hit it off instantly. She is somewhat of an orphan. Her mother passed away two and half years ago, dad is uninvolved. D is just in a rough place in life, facing the facts that she never thought it would be this way, but this is the way it is. I got the privilege of sharing a few meals and cups of coffee, some Sunday mornings, and every Wednesday night with this sweet junior girl. We got to pray together, encourage one another, and I got to support this young lady as she walked through some things that are harder than anything I’ve had to experience yet. I watched her grow in her walk with God and become involved in a body of believers. D isn’t a crier. But we cried together last night, and sat quietly together- I think probably thinking over our year together, both equally thankful for what God taught us through the other.
+ ‘D’ invited ‘M’ partway through the year. M wasn’t too familiar with the whole church thing and was just checking out what she thought about God. I came to love and enjoy these girls so much. Two weeks ago at youth group, M became a Christian. Praise the Lord. I feel so thankful to have been able to become friends with these two girls, preach the gospel to them each week, answer questions with whatever limited answers I have, and just try to love them.
+ During one youth group a few months ago, I got to spend the first hour in a room with one of our students ‘C’, skipping the game and fun time in the beginning. C was having a hard night. We walked through many of her questions that night together- What do I do, because I’m so angry with my family? What is sin? What does it mean to be a Christian? What if I don’t feel like I can do it? C is a very sweet girl and I pray the Lord continues to use our conversation that night and time together the rest of the year to draw her to Himself.
+ Next weekend, one of the newer students in our group, a male ‘C’ is getting baptized. He is a leader and has brought a vulnerability, honesty, and openness to the young guys of our group that we have needed and prayed for all year. He expressed: “I love God. I’m so thankful I found a place I can be myself.”
+ Matt was able to teach the Bible several times on both Sundays and Wednesday this year. I saw God grow him in this skill and gifting, and God used him to communicate God’s heart to these students. Last night, I can’t tell you how many girls in my group started sharing by saying, “I was thinking about what Matt said about…” God used him to convict and challenge these kids.
+ Matt was also able to spend time and meet with one of the newer students to our group who had moved from South Carolina and help him get adjusted to the completely different culture of the Central Coast. I believe this student felt loved and welcomed by Matt’s pursuit of him.
I’m so glad that I could think of many other things to share with you. I won’t. But I wish you could stop in sometime to that little room on South Higuera and meet some of our students. They may not seem like much at first, but God showed us that He loves them and doesn’t “despise their youth…but [desires] that [they] set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12). It's not nearly perfect, and it will probably stay frustrating at moments, but because it's just a bunch of people, it's a process.
We are leaving the group in an exciting time- when we see God doing new things, bringing new people, and changing new lives, truly, every time we get together. There is a sadness and a mourning to leaving, but we’re rejoicing that because it’s not about us, and God has brought faithful laborers to that group, He will keep working and we will hear stories of the great men and women he raises up out of what started in a warehouse telling stories about broken bones.
Our fellow leader and dear friend buddy, shamelessly entertaining the kids with a mullet.
Chubby Bunny. Classic.
Ok, so what? We taped a kid to a chair. He asked for it :)
Sweet D and M.
