CIY

A few weeks ago we had the great opportunity of taking 150 people (high school students and adults) to a Christ in Youth (CIY) conference in Southern California. CIY is an incredible organization that hosts conferences all over the US and even overseas. They bring in great bands and gifted speakers and have great programs designed to inspire and challenge high school students.

Here are some of the highlights from the conference:

2 girls from our group committed their lives to Christ for the first time.
6 students were baptized in the ocean.
Dozens of students committed to serving in full time ministry.
Dozens of students committed to serving in missions.

At the end of the week CIY handed out a sealed envelope to everyone and explained that what was inside was a challenge that was to be completed within the year. The CIY director explained that it should only be opened if you were completely serious about finishing the task that was inside the envelope. A few of us decided that we would open the cards together and that we would support and encourage each other in whatever task we opened. I'll tell you my challenge in a minute. A lot of our students decided to open the cards and we are very excited to see how God uses the tasks. Some of our students were challenged to take an overseas mission trip within a year, provide breakfast for the teachers at their school every month, fast one day a week for a whole year, raise $2000 to pay for 10 students to attend the conference next year and one of my favorites...do something nice and unexpected for your youth pastor once a month for a year. There are lots of others but those are the ones I can remember right now.

So, here we go...the card I opened said that I need to train and run a marathon within a year to raise money for a clean water organization! I'm actually really excited about it and have already started training. My marathon date is December 6...26.2 miles here I come! I have decided to raise money for playpumps.org and will explain more about that ministry later.

All in all, CIY was a great week-lots of awesome conversations and decisions and I'm already looking forward to next year!

Any running tips?

Kiva

Okay, I have a lot to write about from CIY and Amplify but first I need to tell you about this organization I just heard about- Kiva. Kiva is a micro-lending organization that allows you to lend money to an entrepreneur either in another country (and a few in the US). These entrepreneurs are working people living in poverty that want to start up a business or make a repair on their existing business in order to support their families. They aren't looking for handouts, they just need a little financial assistance to get things up and running. The lowest amount you can lend is $25.00 but it is a loan-the entrepreneur pays you back-and then you can loan to another entrepreneur! You even get to see a picture of the person you are lending to, read a little bit about them and you can pick what industry you want to support...health, agriculture, transportation, clothing, etc. Go check it out while you wait for my stories of our summer camps!

Summer!

Summertime in youth ministry is my favorite time of the year. Summertime is crazy busy but totally rewarding and so much fun! In just a couple days we leave for Biola University with 130 high school students and 20 leaders for a Christ In Youth Conference (CIY) which will be attended by thousands of other high schoolers. This is going to be an awesome week and I hope that you will join me in praying for all the students and that they will be open to being changed by God.

We will return from CIY with just one day before leaving for Amplify-Junior High Summer Camp in Tahoe. We are taking about 80 junior high students to summer camp and pray that they will be changed as well and excited to show their community the love of Christ when they return home.

I always look forward to these camps and conferences as our students walk away challenged, changed and refreshed in Christ. I look forward to writing again in a couple weeks to update you on all the exciting happenings from camp!

Why I'm a junior high leader...

As the school year comes to an end my junior high small group is taking a break for the summer. My wonderful girls decided to have me over for an end-of-the-year dinner party. Each girl was responsible for a different part of the meal and when I arrived they were great hosts. The table was decorated with candles and flowers and name tags for where each of us was to sit. The girls brought their parts of the meal out-salad, bread sticks, spaghetti and soda, we prayed and they insisted that as the guest of honor I make my plate first. The food was delicious and we had some fun conversations. After dinner we had round one of desert and then the girls decided to play dress up. They found some old Halloween costumes and each girl dressed up as a princess and then of course we had to walk around the neighborhood...a sort of princess parade. The girls were cracking me up as they walked around "looking for their prince charming"...let me tell ya, the way they were singing would have sent anybody in their path running :-) After our walk we returned to the house and the girls proceeded to entertain me with dance performances and their own renditions of current songs.

One of the best parts of the night was just getting to watch the girls and how they interacted with each other. They each wrote me a note that touched me deeply and the whole night made me feel very honored to be a part of their lives.

There are times during small group where I wonder if they are getting it and wonder if they ever will and of course times when all I can do is laugh-like when one of the girls asks how to cure cavities when all the other girls are asking serious questions about Christ, or when one of the girls spits root beer float all over your face because someone made her laugh, or when one causes your toilet to overflow all over the bathroom and stares at it screaming instead of grabbing a towel-I love every moment of being their leader and really feel honored to be their junior high leader.

If only...then maybe

If only you knew that we spend our vacation thinking of ways to improve the youth group then maybe you would be slower to judge our decisions.

If only you knew how many hours we put into the youth ministry then maybe you would be less likely to tell us to add another event to benefit you.

If only you took a few minutes to ask the vision and purpose of the group then maybe you would understand the meaning behind our decisions.

If only you knew how much we truly care for each student then maybe you would understand that it breaks our hearts when we hear students are partying...and if only you knew how much we try to keep them on a healthy path then maybe you would be slower to put the blame on us when it does happen.

If only you would offer to host an event at your house or sponsor an event then maybe we could put some of your ideas on the calendar.

If only you encouraged/made your child attend youth group then maybe they would know what events are going on.

If only you were a parent to your child rather than a friend then maybe they would not go out and drink.

If only you volunteered in the youth ministry then maybe you could help "those" kids...you know, the ones who go out and drink...not yours, "those".

If only you spent some quality time with God then maybe your child would too.

If only you knew that youth ministry is more of a way of life than it is a job then maybe you would be less critical and choose your words more carefully.

If only...

One more No-No

"Are you tired?"..."No, oh, you look tired"

Oh, gee, thanks for that boost of confidence!! Really, does anyone want to know when they look tired?? Let's just leave this question out of our conversations...uh, how about forever!

Conversation "no-nos"

Being a pastors wife I have come to notice that some people think they know you a lot better than they actually do. This probably happens because they see my husband on stage and see us around the church...being part of a large church most people know us but we do not know them. And this happens...people think they are pretty close to us when in reality we barely know who they are...which leads them to making comments or asking questions they really shouldn't. In the past few weeks this has become very clear to me through some of the questions and statements that have been directed at me. So, I thought I would do a service to everyone and remind you of a few questions/statements you don't say to people...especially women.

When waiting to get food at a self-serve BBQ don't say "Oh, (insert name here) just got her food, is there any left?"

When saying good-bye to someone at the same BBQ don't say, "I'll see you at the gym working this BBQ off".

When seeing someone make up their plate at a self-serve dinner don't ask, "Is that all for you?"

And, the one I thought everyone knew..."Are you pregnant?" Really, no matter how close you think you are to someone, don't ask this question! Here's a hint...if you are "that close" she will tell you if she is pregnant...you won't have to ask!