youth club goes alpine
Today we took the youth club out to the local ski trek (a small one) and gathered quite a few youths with the love of alpine skiing and snow boarding. After a little more than an hour we tried to get all of the youths together by the bonfire, we grilled some hot dogs and wanted them all to be there for the devotion. We used almost half an hour to get everyone (more or less) to stand still and not go for the just-one-more-down-hill-while-the-others-gathered tour…. In the end I counted 25 people there, all together, and then it was time for one of the young girls to have the devotion.It must have been so scary, but she jumped into it. A bit low voiced at the beginning; I could see the youths concentration and trying to catch her words, but after a bit all of us heard quite well.
She told about her self being an artist, a painter, and how she thought about her creations. Even when she had finished a painting she sometimes had to add a bit or change some, maybe as long as a year later, because she wanted it to be just like she wanted it to be and she cared about it. She put so much of her self into the paintings. Then she reminded us to look at each other, us self and the nature around us to see the beauty of it all. She told how God made it and made it with great love and care - just like an artist. He put something of his in the creation – and sometimes he too wants to add a bit or change some – just to make it better, just because he cares – just because he loves us.
My day so far had been rather blah, but standing right there I felt how much doing what I do means to me. I want to go out with the good news about Jesus to the youths, I want to tell them they are loved and I want to stand there by their side while they find their words and their way in life – with Christ by their side. I just pray for strength and staying power. Sometimes it’s an un-thankful job to work with youths, but it is so so so so important!! I needed this reminder today.
